Overnight, talks took place at the Kremlin between Donald Trump's representative, Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The negotiations lasted five hours but, as Putin's aide admitted, resulted in no concrete agreements.
Despite international expectations, the end of the war is not any closer. The talks remained vague, with no concrete discussion of peace plan details—Putin's assistant Ushakov confirmed that no compromise was reached and only general approaches were discussed.
The main issue is Russia's real objective in this war: it is not about territories, but the destruction of Ukraine's statehood. Any territorial concessions will not stop the war, since the Russian leadership aims for Ukraine to cease to exist as an independent state.
The author stresses that only Russia's defeat will end the aggression, and that the Kremlin uses prolonged negotiations to strengthen its position and weaken Western support for Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine needs military reform and greater pressure on Western partners to stop funding Russia’s war machine by purchasing Russian energy.
Even a short-term ceasefire would not satisfy Russia's ambitions—the claims to Ukrainian territory would persist. The article calls for active support of the Ukrainian armed forces, military reform, and a sober understanding that Russia poses a threat not only to Ukraine, but to the broader European region.
The final say in this war, the author argues, should belong to the Ukrainian soldier and nation—not to Russian or American leaders.
