Russia not seeking talks, aims to destroy Ukraine - ISW
Photo: Vladimir Putin, Russian president (Getty Images)
The Russian authorities are not interested in genuine peace talks or a swift end to the war and continue to pursue a course aimed at eliminating Ukraine’s sovereignty, according to a report from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to experts, Kremlin representatives have publicly acknowledged that Russia seeks the complete destruction of Ukraine.
The report refers to Russian- and English-language posts on the Telegram channel of Russian Security Council Deputy Chair Dmitry Medvedev dated June 3. In them, he claimed that Russia needs negotiations in Istanbul not to reach a compromise peace, but to secure a "swift victory [in Ukraine] and the complete destruction" of the Ukrainian government and not a "compromise[d] peace on someone else's delusional terms." He called Russia’s June 2 memorandum consistent with those goals and threatened will "explode" everything and "disappear" anyone who opposes Russia in response to the June 1 long-range Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia.
On the same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia’s memorandum aims to "eliminate the root causes" of the war in Ukraine and advised against expecting "immediate decisions" from Istanbul. He added that President Vladimir Putin is interested in a future trilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only after all technical details are worked out and agreed upon as part of a potential ceasefire or long-term peace deal.
Deceptive diplomacy
ISW notes that Russian state media has cautioned the public not to expect substantial outcomes from the talks. Meanwhile, Russian officials continue to feign interest in sincere negotiations before Western audiences.
Despite recent bilateral meetings with US officials as part of Washington’s diplomatic efforts, Russia has shown no willingness to compromise on any of its conditions for peace. The Istanbul memorandum reflects longstanding Kremlin demands for significant territorial and political concessions from Ukraine, without offering anything in return.
"ISW continues to assess that Russia remains committed to pursuing demands that amount to nothing short of Ukraine's full capitulation and that Russia will continue to pursue this objective so long as Putin believes Russia can militarily defeat Ukraine," the report states.
Peace talks and Russian demands
Ahead of the second round of talks in Istanbul on June 2, Russia presented a memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation. The document reiterated Moscow’s standard ultimatums, which Kyiv refuses to accept.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the terms unacceptable and overly ultimatum-like.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha accused Russia of stalling and urged Western partners to introduce new sanctions against the aggressor.
Both sides also discussed the possibility of presidential-level talks between Ukraine and Russia, potentially with involvement from Western leaders.
