With the backdrop of potential territorial concessions looming over Trump's meeting with Putin, European leaders stand united in their support for Ukraine's sovereignty.
Russia continues to frame peace as Ukraine’s surrender, ISW notes, with demands that echo the start of the full-scale war. The kremlin’s “peace” offer masks intent to prolong the war, the think tank says.
Deputy Foreign Minister argued that threats of sanctions cannot change Russia's approach to potential peace deal based on what the Kremlin terms as eliminating the "root causes" of the war.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev stated that Moscow's peace negotiations in Istanbul must result in the Ukrainian government's elimination rather than compromise.
Putin wants Ukraine's neutrality, protection for Russian speakers, and guarantees against NATO membership for former Soviet republics, while Ukraine rejects all these demands.
Despite heavy losses, Moscow "seems comfortable with the current cost of its slow advances," betting on a war of attrition that intelligence officials say will likely favor Russia through 2025 without increased Western aid for Ukraine.
As Russia ramps up threats of new invasions, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry says such a zone could just as well exist inside Russia, referencing Ukraine’s operations in Kursk Oblast.
Putin's insistence on Ukraine accepting the 2022 Istanbul protocols, described as surrender terms for Ukraine, serves to distract from Russia's failures to make a significant progress on the battlefield over the last two years.