Russian dictator Vladimir Putin rejected the proposal of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hold negotiations on ending the war, confirming the Kremlin's intentions to achieve its military goals and his conviction in the inevitability of a military victory for Russian troops, despite available data suggesting the opposite. This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), UNN reports.
Details
It is noted that during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Putin claimed that Russian troops had captured "two thousand four hundred forty thousand square kilometers" (likely meaning 2,440 square kilometers, not 2.4 million square kilometers; 2.4 million square kilometers is an area much larger than Ukraine itself - ISW) of territory over an unspecified period of time and currently occupy 85 percent of the Donetsk region, 80 percent of the Zaporizhzhia region, and the entire Luhansk region.
Putin also lied that Russian troops are advancing along all sections of the front line. Putin stated that Russian troops have achieved parity in the use of drones with Ukrainian forces on the battlefield and have an advantage in some areas. Putin's statements from June 4 and 5 are consistent with his theory of victory, according to which Russia can win a prolonged war of attrition provided that Russian troops advance across the entire theater of operations
In their opinion, Russia is increasingly struggling to maintain its method of conducting a prolonged war of attrition, while the performance of Russian troops on the battlefield has declined. At the same time, Russia is struggling with the consequences of the war for the Russian economy, a decrease in conscription levels, and public discontent.
Putin's statements at the SPIEF indicate that he remains committed to his military goals, his theory of victory, and his current way of waging war in Ukraine, despite growing difficulties
They emphasize that Putin's statements about the battlefield are inconsistent with available evidence and suggest that the Russian military command is not providing Putin with accurate intelligence "about the reality of Russian troop operations on the battlefield."
"Ukrainian troops liberated more territory than Russian troops captured in April and May 2026, which highlights Russia's declining combat performance and Ukraine's success in stopping the Russian spring-summer offensive of 2026," the analysts conclude.
As a reminder
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote an open letter to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin — proposing to schedule a meeting and set a date.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin reacted to the letter, stating that he currently sees no point in meeting with the Ukrainian President — claiming he "never refused a meeting with Zelenskyy, but is against pouring from the empty into the void."