Weapons always become a bargaining chip precisely before "peace efforts", believes the chief designer and co-founder of the defense company Fire Point, Denys Shtilerman, reports UNN.
According to Shtilerman, we have witnessed "preparation for pressure" in an attempt to bring the positions of Ukraine and Russia closer to achieve peace, and the consequences are obvious – Ukraine will not receive Patriot interceptor missiles in the near future.
"The practical consequences are obvious. In the near future, we will not receive any interceptor missiles for air defense: weapons always become a bargaining chip precisely before 'peace efforts.' Moscow, for its part, reads these statements the same way we do, so in the coming days we expect intensified shelling of peaceful cities," Shtilerman wrote on X, commenting on the statement by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
This refers to statements made by Rubio in an interview with FOX News. He stated that certain efforts are being made aimed at resuming peace negotiations.
"Over the next few weeks, you will witness certain efforts aimed at determining whether we can resume negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and end this war," Rubio said.
At the same time, he noted that both sides have fairly clear "red lines."
"Until we manage to bring these 'red lines' a little closer together, we will not achieve the desired result," the politician emphasized.
Against the backdrop of these statements, Denys Shtilerman expressed the opinion that the efforts being made are not mediation, but preparation for pressure.
"Let me decode. 'Bringing red lines closer together' means an equal distance from both sides: Russia must give up some of what it has looted, Ukraine must recognize the rest as Russian. This is not mediation. This is preparation for pressure," Shtilerman wrote.
Earlier, the American magazine The Atlantic published details of a closed conversation between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States. According to the publication, Donald Trump refused the request to provide Ukraine with 300 Patriot missiles before winter.
In addition, Trump changed his decision on granting Ukraine a license to produce missiles for the Patriot system.
"This is an absolutely exceptional weapon, and we have to be a little careful about who we issue licenses to. In fact, we do not license weapons production," Trump told the Financial Times, emphasizing that the U.S. goal is to stop the war.