Negotiations will not Lead to Peace in Ukraine

Despite publicly hankering for negotiations to presumably end its war against Ukraine, the Kremlin has not placed any credence in a successful outcome.

Russian leadership has been going through the motions, teasing the international community, while stalling at every opportunity thus prolonging Russia’s occupation of its ill-gotten lands in Ukraine. There are two reasons why Moscow doesn’t want to see successful negations that will bring its war to an end. One is that the negotiations could lead to a negotiated surrender of Ukrainian territory that it had seized and occupied. 

The latest round of talks between aggressor and victim on Wednesday, July 23, concluded in less than an hour in Turkey. A Kremlin spokesman warned, “Don’t expect miracles from the peace talks.”

And that honest assessment is the second reason why negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv are doomed to failure regardless of how many iterations are planned and executed.

Russia doesn’t want the war to end because its age-old mission is to rebuild and enlarge its empire with the addition of Ukraine regardless of human cost. That in Russians’ demented minds would restore the grandeur of Russia.

Numerous observations about ending the war expressed by Russian officials since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have underlined Moscow’s inflexible commitment to preserving its stolen property as well as its intention to expand its empire. And they don’t deny it. And they don’t cover up their objective.

Ahead of the latest round of negotiations, Moscow spoke about not shifting from its maximalist demands in ending its war with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a Russian-state media reporter. He said Russian dictator Vladimir Putin remains immovably focused on achieving his goals on the battlefield.

“President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a Russian-state media reporter. “The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear," Peskov added.

Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals first remains a priority, Peskov said Sunday, days after U.S. President Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions.

According to the Russians, achieving their goals of preserving stolen Ukrainian territory and building the Russian empire is nonnegotiable.

The Russian remarks reflect Moscow’s growing list of maximalist demands presented in its so-called “peace memorandum” during recent negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.

The document or rather capitulation protocol calls for Ukraine to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea and four partially occupied regions – Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk – and demands full Ukrainian troop withdrawal and demobilization. The Kremlin has also insisted that Ukraine dismantle and destroy all Western-supplied weapons as part of any ceasefire deal.

At that point, the Ukrainian leadership might as well pack up, take down the flag and surrender the keys to Putin.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 450 drones and missiles during the attack, which lasted several hours, with Kyiv, the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kharkiv badly hit.

“Russian strikes are always an assault on humanity — in Kyiv, a kindergarten caught fire, along with residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. Ordinary apartment buildings were damaged in Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and the region,” Zelensky wrote.

Explosions rocked Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported at 2:16 AM local time, with multiple further explosions and the sound of drones lasting until after 5 AM.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice weighed in last week on President Trump’s ultimatum on Russia, suggesting it is a “turning point” in peace efforts in the more than three-year-long war in Ukraine.

“This last week was a turning point,” she said Thursday during a panel moderated by NBC’s Andrea Mitchell at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

“I think the best news that we could possibly give to the Ukrainian people is that the US and Europe have finally aligned around the idea that Vladimir Putin will not be stopped with words,” Rice continued later, referring to the Russian president. “He will only be stopped if he believes that he can go no further, he can win no further.”

Yet Western analysts and Ukrainian officials say that the President Trump’s 50-day-window is unlikely to deter Putin from accelerating Russia’s summer offensive in the coming weeks. Moreover, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed Trump’s threatened tariffs as mere bluster.

“Fifty days – it used to be 24 hours,” Lavrov scoffed. “It used to be 100 days; we’ve been through all of this.”

Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months hours before Britain and Germany chaired a meeting Monday to discuss President Trump’s plans for NATO allies to provide Ukraine with weapons.

The drone and missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The deadly assault underscored the urgency of Ukraine’s need for further Western military aid, especially in air defense, a week after Trump said deliveries would arrive in Ukraine within days. “Russia’s plan is to intimidate our society,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Moscow seeks to launch 700 to 1,000 drones a day. Over the weekend, German Maj. Gen. Christian Freuding said in an interview that Russia aims for a capability of launching 2,000 drones in one attack.

Imagine TWO THOUSAND drones in one aerial attack against Ukraine. God help Ukraine!

German General: Russians Plan to Launch 2,000 drones vs Ukraine

German General: Russians Plan  to Launch 2,000 drones vs Ukraine

This hasn’t happened yet but neither has tomorrow—yet.

There is sage counsel about threats: If someone threatens to kill you, it's generally advised to take the threat seriously and not dismiss it. While not all threats are immediately followed through, threats of violence should be treated as a potential risk to your safety. Seek help from authorities or trusted individuals, and document the threat. 

The mere revelation of Russia planning to build and launch 2,000 drones against Ukraine at the same time is enough to send all Ukrainians scurrying for help.

The Ukrainian Truth (Українська Правда) reported that Russia intends to simultaneously launch up to 2,000 drones on Ukraine, according to German Maj.-Gen. Christian Freuding.

Freuding made this revelation in the Bundeswehr’s Nachgefragt podcast on Saturday, July 19.

Freuding has information that Russia is significantly expanding its production capacity to enable mass drone deployment in the war against Ukraine. He said Moscow plans to launch 2,000 drones at once, which could overwhelm Ukrainian air defence systems. Two thousand is twice Russia’s last launch record.

The general emphasized the need to develop “smart countermeasures,” as the use of conventional means – in particular, missiles from the Patriot air defence system – is not a logical response to Shahed drones, which cost $40,000-$67,000 while a single Patriot missile costs over $6.7 million.

In Freuding’s assessment, Ukraine needs low-cost counter-drone solutions priced at $2,682-$5,364 to effectively repel large-scale attacks.

Freuding also named strikes deep inside Russian territory – targeting military aircraft, airfields and defence factories – as another necessary response to the drone threat.

He further pointed out that China has ceased supplying drone components to Ukraine and now exclusively exports to Russia.

"Right now, the situation is that China is effectively exporting solely to Russia, while Ukraine has been shut out of this market," Freuding said.

In Cahoots against Ukraine

 In Cahoots vs Ukraine, Russia and North Korea Violate UN Arms Rez 

Russia and North Korea have violated United Nations resolutions regarding arms, troops and refined petroleum shipments throughout 2024 and beyond that are intended for use against Ukraine, a UN report released last week says.

Evidence shows North Korea many times shipped arms and material to Russia, which trained North Korean troops for combat against Ukrainian forces, Seth Bailey, the U.S. State Department's director for Korean and Mongolian Affairs, told U.N. members last Thursday.

In exchange, Russia shipped refined petroleum products, military equipment and military technology to North Korea, Bailey said.

The actions by both nations violate U.N. resolutions, as outlined in a 29-page U.N. report compiled by its Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team and published on May 29.

The report focuses on illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia and says the “rapid expansion of military, political and economic cooperation” between the two nations has caused “ongoing flagrant violations” of UN Security Council resolutions.

“Throughout 2024, North Korea and Russia engaged in myriad unlawful activities explicitly prohibited” by the United Nations, the report says.

The violations include the transfer of arms and material, including artillery, ballistic missiles and combat vehicles, from North Korea to Russia via sea, air and rail.

North Korea also sent troops to Russia, which the Russian military trained for direct support in its war against Ukraine, according to the report.

Russia also has shipped refined petroleum products to North Korea that “far exceed the yearly United Nations Security Council-mandated cap,” with payments processed via banking relations between Russia and North Korea.

“These forms of unlawful cooperation between [North Korea]and Russia contributed to Moscow’s ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure,” the report says.

Civilian infrastructure is a euphemism for residential apartments, homes for civilians which are bombed by Russian aerial ordnance, resulting in death and injuries for unarmed civilians.

Russia's assistance has enabled North Korea to fund its military programs and continue developing its ballistic missiles program, which is banned by the United Nations.

North Korea also "gains first-hand experience in modern warfare in return for its military support to Russia against Ukraine," the report says.

Such military support includes the deployment of 11,000 North Korean troops to Russia since October.

“The official confirmation of North Korean military support to Russia by both governments in April 2025 suggests that, at least for the foreseeable future, North Korea and Russia intend to continue and further deepen their military cooperation in contravention of relevant UNSCRs,” according to the report.