WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Advisors to President-elect Donald Trump now acknowledge that resolving the war in Ukraine will likely stretch over several months, if not longer, marking a stark departure from his campaign promise to broker peace on his very first day in office.

Two individuals close to Trump, who have discussed the Ukraine conflict with him, indicated to Reuters that a resolution within months is a more realistic expectation. They described earlier "Day One" promises as a mixture of campaign bravado and a failure to grasp the complexities of the conflict, along with the challenges of fully staffing a new administration on time.

These insights align with comments made by Trump’s incoming envoy for Russia-Ukraine relations, retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg. Speaking to Fox News last week, Kellogg shared his ambition to achieve a "solution" to the conflict within 100 days — significantly longer than Trump’s original timetable.

However, even this extended window may be overly optimistic, according to John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who now works at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington. "To make progress, Trump will need to convince (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that there’s a tangible cost to dragging his feet," Herbst commented.

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly stated he could secure an agreement between Ukraine and Russia on his first day in office, sometimes implying this could happen even before his inauguration. However, by late October, his rhetoric shifted to a promise to resolve the conflict "very quickly."

After his election win, Trump further downplayed his time frame, often declaring he would "solve" the issue without committing to deadlines. He also acknowledged the Ukraine conflict might prove more challenging to address than the ongoing turmoil in Gaza. "Actually, I think the Russia-Ukraine situation is going to be harder," Trump admitted during a December press conference when asked about solving the Gaza crisis.

Russia’s approach to peace talks has been inconsistent. While Moscow expressed openness to direct discussions with Trump, it dismissed some proposals by his advisors as impractical. The Kremlin did not comment on the revised timeline, and inquiries to Trump’s incoming team and Ukraine’s embassy in Washington went unanswered.

On the battlefield, Russia has made notable advances in recent months, albeit at a substantial cost in resources and soldiers. Analysts suggest Putin may prefer to delay peace talks, using the time to consolidate territorial gains further. Earlier this month, Russia’s UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, dismissed Trump’s advisors’ peace ideas as "of no interest."

Though specifics of Trump’s prospective peace plan remain under discussion, his advisors generally lean toward excluding NATO membership for Ukraine for the foreseeable future and freezing current front lines. Many high-ranking members of Trump’s team also back the idea of providing Ukraine with a form of security guarantee, such as establishing a demilitarized zone monitored by European forces.

Despite these discussions, Trump’s efforts to address the war have been inconsistent, reflecting the challenges of turning campaign pledges into actionable foreign policy amid complex international negotiations. For instance, Kellogg recently postponed a pre-inauguration trip to Kyiv intended as a fact-finding mission to aid in peace planning, according to Reuters. The Ukrainian foreign ministry cited concerns over potential violations of the Logan Act, which restricts private citizens from unilateral negotiations with foreign governments.

"I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to meet (Putin) until after the 20th," Trump remarked at a press conference last week. He added, "I hate that because, every day, many, many young people are being killed."

Meanwhile, Trump's incoming administration is navigating internal coordination challenges. Officials at the State Department, National Security Council, and other agencies are still settling on roles and influence over foreign policy decisions, one Trump advisor told Reuters.