Ukraine and Russia cool on US-led peace talks - FT
Kyiv • UNN
The parties consider there is little prospect for reviving US-brokered peace talks.
Russia and Ukraine believe there is little prospect for reviving US-brokered peace talks even after the war in the Middle East ends, citing sources familiar with the positions of both sides, Financial Times reports, according to UNN.
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According to sources, Vladimir Putin has shifted his focus to seizing more Ukrainian territory by force and intends to further expand his demands beyond the Donbas.
Meanwhile, officials in Kyiv believe they are less vulnerable to US pressure for a quick and unfavorable deal after halting Russia's offensive and inflicting more damage with drone strikes deep into enemy territory.
Although US President Donald Trump said last week that "we are getting closer and closer every day" to a deal after concluding a short-term ceasefire, the publication writes, "neither side saw much value in continuing the talks," according to sources. American officials deny ever trying to pressure Ukraine.
Ukraine believed the talks had already reached a stalemate around February after the last round of negotiations with Russia, and was frustrated that Washington failed to pressure Vladimir Putin to soften his demands, Ukrainian officials said.
"The American side has made no progress in negotiations with Russia," said one Ukrainian official. "Everything that could be discussed has already been done."
Meanwhile, Russia stated last week that there is no point in further negotiations unless Ukraine withdraws its troops from the Donbas, the publication writes.
"The truth is that Russia is still trying to achieve victory on the battlefield, sticking to its maximalist demands," said a senior German diplomat. "Russia's actions clearly contradict any perceived readiness for negotiations."
Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to keep Trump involved in the peace process, "even as they lose faith in it," the publication notes. Ukrainian and Russian officials continued to meet separately with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's envoys, and said they would likely visit both countries.
But Putin rejected proposals for European mediation, as well as Ukraine's request for a summit on neutral territory, raising questions about his commitment to the peace process.
"Russia's growing vulnerability to Ukrainian drone strikes, which forced it to hold a scaled-back version of its annual Victory Day parade last weekend, and its gradual progress on the battlefield have done little to deter Putin's confidence that Ukraine's front will collapse," according to people familiar with the matter.
According to two people in contact with the Kremlin leader, two other people familiar with the matter, and a Ukrainian intelligence assessment shared with the FT, "top Russian commanders have convinced Putin that their forces can seize the entire Donbas by autumn."
According to three people, "Putin plans to raise the price of any ceasefire by increasing Russia's territorial demands."
Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence, told the FT last month that success in the Donbas would allow the Kremlin to make further territorial claims. Putin would then argue that Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—two regions Russia claims to have annexed in 2022, though significant parts remain under Ukrainian control—must also be handed over, Skibitskyi said.
At a summit with Trump in Alaska last summer, Putin proposed freezing the front line in these two regions if his other demands were met.
According to two people who spoke with him, "Putin is increasingly focused on seizing the Donbas, despite privately expressing readiness to freeze hostilities at current front lines at various previous stages of the war."
"I insisted that he finish at the current front lines. But he keeps saying: 'No, I cannot compromise on this issue,'" said one of the interlocutors.
Kherson and Zaporizhzhia did not have the same "symbolic significance" for Putin as Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the Donbas, where it began a slow proxy war that same year, the person added. But they remained a key objective of the war effort.
"A breakthrough on the battlefield still looks distant. Russia's advance has slowed to a glacial pace, while Ukraine has inflicted more damage on Putin's forces both on the front line and in the rear," the publication states.
"Compared to the Donbas, capturing Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would be even more difficult. The largest eponymous cities of the two regions are located across the Dnipro on land from which Putin's troops have either withdrawn or never held," the publication writes.
"But Putin's true ambitions likely remain securing dominance over Ukraine at least along the entire Dnipro, which would include capturing Kyiv and the key Black Sea port of Odesa," according to two people involved in back-channel negotiations to end the war.
"He won't take Zaporizhzhia, he won't take the Donbas, he won't take Kherson. But remember that the plan was always to take Kyiv. The task is set and must be completed," said one of the interlocutors.
"They tell him that the Ukrainians are fighting, their front is collapsing, and they have run out of people," the interlocutor added.
Putin hinted on Saturday that Russia's territorial ambitions could extend beyond its current demands. When asked if Ukrainian drone strikes mean Russia needs to expand the "security zone" deeper into Ukraine, Putin replied: "You answered that question yourself. We need to make sure that no one threatens anyone, and that's all."