Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to agree to peace talks with Kyiv soon and may instead escalate the war in Ukraine, SİA informs, citing Reuters sources.
Three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and ports had strengthened Putin's determination to continue the war. Two of them said escalation was likely, with one source describing a high probability of further escalation in the coming months.
The comments come despite US President Donald Trump's recent statement that Putin wanted the war to end and that a settlement was closer than many believed. Trump held separate phone calls last week with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and later met Zelenskyy at the NATO summit.
One source familiar with Putin's thinking said the Russian president remained focused on capturing the rest of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. According to the source, Putin rejected advice from some officials who had suggested a compromise based on a ceasefire along the current front line.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters that Russia was ready for a peaceful settlement but had enough capability to continue what Moscow calls its special military operation.
A senior Ukrainian official, responding to Reuters, said Kyiv's intelligence indicated that Putin was preparing further steps in the war rather than peace, including possible new operations in Ukraine or even beyond it.
Reuters noted that Russia's advances on the battlefield have slowed this year, while Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries, ports and fuel depots have caused severe fuel shortages inside Russia. Putin has said Russia may seek to seize more Ukrainian territory along the border to create what he called a security zone.
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