Putin's War Continues, Demands Increased U.S. Pressure for Just Peace

According to a senior advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin is resolute in continuing the conflict in Ukraine and shows no genuine interest in peace negotiations. Mykhailo Podolyak has urged the United States to exert greater influence to bring the Kremlin to the negotiating table. He stated that Russia is not interested in ending the war, a ceasefire, or any meaningful discussions, including those regarding a potential freezing of the conflict.

Podolyak noted that Putin had promised Donald Trump a meeting, but Russia has yet to send a serious delegation. The meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska has not led to any significant progress in ending the fighting, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. While Trump presented the meeting as a diplomatic breakthrough, the Kremlin's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has since downplayed the likelihood of a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, stating that an "agenda" would need to be finalized and that Putin would only meet if Zelenskyy acknowledged he was the head of a "regime."

Podolyak views the Kremlin's demands as a tactic to delay any potential meeting. He emphasized that Russia does not have the authority to determine the legal status of other countries' leaders and that Putin's fear of real negotiations is the core issue. He believes Putin wants to prolong the war and stage fake negotiations with puppet delegates.

The quality of diplomats Russia has sent to talks with Ukraine has raised questions about its willingness to end the war. For instance, the Kremlin selected a former culture minister who has previously denied Ukraine's existence to lead its delegation at a summit. Podolyak stated that Ukraine would not consider any discussions about ceding territory, even if Russia promised to end its offensive.

Podolyak also addressed the idea of "land swaps" as a potential peace agreement, which has been suggested by others. He questioned the logic of trading territory that Russia has not managed to capture after years of war. He believes that Russia will use the Donbas as a base to launch further attacks. He emphasized that rewarding Russia for its aggression would only encourage more aggression.