Russian President Vladimir Putin has stationed approximately 50,000 troops along the northern edge of Ukraine, even as Washington and Kyiv urge Moscow to engage in substantial ceasefire discussions.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned that Putin is assembling forces for a sweeping summer campaign aimed at pushing Ukrainian soldiers out of Russia’s Kursk region and initiating a fresh assault into Ukraine’s Sumy region, located just 200 miles from Kyiv.
Zelenskyy repeated his willingness to meet with Putin directly, and added that if a one-on-one meeting is not acceptable to the Russian leader, he would be open to a three-way summit involving President Donald Trump.
Trump, when asked on Wednesday about such a scenario, said he would be prepared to sit down with both Putin and Zelenskyy “if necessary,” although the Kremlin quickly dismissed the idea once again.
The U.S. president voiced frustration over Moscow’s ongoing attacks, saying he was “very disappointed” that Russia continues to strike Ukraine during the peace push. Still, he defended his decision not to introduce new penalties against Putin, explaining, “I think I’m close to getting a deal, I don’t want to screw it up by doing that.”
During a live conversation on X Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi revealed that since a May 16 summit in Turkey, Russian forces have unleashed 120 missiles, over 1,500 Shahed drones, and more than 2,500 guided bombs on Ukrainian towns and cities.
On Monday, officials in the Sumy region verified that four Ukrainian villages close to the Russian border had fallen into Russian hands. These areas had previously been evacuated and were situated in a contested “gray zone” ever since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
This troop deployment appears to be part of a broader Russian goal to establish a six-mile-wide buffer zone, a strategic objective Moscow has reportedly pursued since early 2024. That initiative was temporarily derailed by Ukraine’s own military operations in the Kursk region.
Analysts suggest Russia may attempt to use any buffer zone it controls as a point of leverage in future ceasefire negotiations. However, Kyiv has accused Moscow of negotiating in bad faith, referencing recent failed talks in Istanbul where no progress was made.
Late Wednesday, Russian officials floated the idea of a second round of Istanbul negotiations, indicating they would bring a formal “memorandum” outlining their ceasefire conditions.
Ukraine has not agreed to a follow-up meeting. On Thursday, officials in Kyiv stated that Moscow had “promised” to submit the memorandum in advance, but had yet to deliver.
“They are scared to share it because they filled the document with ultimatums and demands,” Tykhyi said Thursday. “They understand this document is needed not to advance the peace process but to stall.”
Tykhyi continued, arguing, “If they have nothing to hide, if this document is workable,” then there “should be no problem in sharing the document,” which he said is essential to achieving a “meaningful result.”
Ukrainian officials confirmed that they have already provided their own terms for a ceasefire.
{Matzav.com}