Ukraine has been left to reckon with a harsh reality in the shadow of yet another failed round of peace talks in Istanbul on 16 May: Russia, under its dictator, has no interest in ending the war. Despite three years of unrelenting fighting and repeated Western attempts to mediate, including former US president Donald Trump’s much-touted but ineffective diplomatic push, Moscow continues to escalate its territorial ambitions.
The latest Istanbul meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations barely lasted two hours. While a prisoner exchange deal was reached—1,000 for 1,000—Ukraine’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire and direct talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian dictator was flatly rejected. Instead, Russian envoys demanded Kyiv withdraw from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions—none of which are fully controlled by Russia and all illegally annexed following sham referenda in 2022. The Kremlin now hints at further expansion, threatening to seize six regions if Kyiv refuses to surrender the current four.
A negotiator close to the Kremlin reportedly declared: “If the four new Russian regions are not recognised now, next time there will already be six.” Ukrainian lawmakers and officials, drawing on bitter experience, called it a blatant stalling tactic. “Russia is not negotiating; it is buying time to prepare for new offensives,” said Holos Party MP Yaroslav Yoschyshyn. From 2014 to 2022, Ukraine endured at least 26 ceasefire agreements, none of which Moscow took seriously.
Ukrainian forces have observed Russian troop buildups near Sumy and Kharkiv regions, adding to fears of another summer offensive. In Kharkiv, signs of mobilisation are already visible. Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva noted that the refusal of a 30-day ceasefire proves Russian intentions remain unchanged.
Adding insult to injury, Trump has seemingly accepted Moscow’s narrative at face value, offering excuses for the Russian dictator’s absence from talks and undermining efforts to present a united Western front. Ukrainian officials say Trump is being “played for a fool”, as Vladimir Aryev of the European Solidarity Party put it. “He is not ready to accept that Russia is cheating him.”
Zelensky, along with European leaders including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, held a call with Trump following the failed talks. Zelensky reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness for real peace, but warned that a strong and united stance from the international community was needed.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s intelligence service has arrested a soldier accused of leaking his location to Russia’s FSB in return for advance warnings of strikes. The man allegedly acted as a “living beacon” for targeting his own unit. He faces life in prison for high treason.
In Russia, the Kremlin has promoted two paratrooper generals known for high-casualty offensives. Colonel General Valery Solodchuk, now commanding the central military district, oversaw brutal campaigns resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Ukrainian civilians. His rise, along with that of Colonel General Andrei Mordvichev—held responsible for the catastrophic siege of Mariupol—is seen as a signal that Russia will double down on aggressive, meat grinder warfare, regardless of the human cost.
Solodchuk’s record includes overseeing the deaths of up to 800 civilians around Kyiv and planning an airstrike that killed 19 shoppers in Kharkiv. Mordvichev is linked to the deaths of over 20,000 civilians in Mariupol from bombardment, starvation, and sickness. These appointments are seen by analysts as the Kremlin’s bid to push forward with its war aims through brute force, not diplomacy.
