Ukraine mocks Putin's fantasy of deciding Ukraine and Baltics' fate without them

He noted that after Ukraine, the talk may turn to the Baltics.

"Putin continues to pretend he can talk about Ukraine without Ukraine. One day, he will also think he can talk about the Baltics without the Baltics — this is his way of thinking," Kovalenko wrote.

However, he emphasized that Russia has long been a country with limited sovereignty. It depends entirely on selling energy resources to the Global South, on weapons and ammunition from North Korea, on foreign technologies, and on schemes to circumvent sanctions.

"Such a country is definitely not on par with the US or China, and it certainly does not decide anything in the post-Soviet space, Europe, the Caucasus, or the Middle East," the post said.

Kovalenko stressed that Putin's desire to create a world where Europe resolves regional issues not only with the US but also with Russia is "pathetic in its logic."

Background

Earlier tonight, The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin told Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff he would agree to a complete ceasefire if Ukraine withdrew troops from the entire Donetsk region.

At the same time, according to Bild, Witkoff misunderstood Putin. The Kremlin leader did not abandon his intent to fully control Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

Additionally, yesterday, US President Donald Trump suggested a possible territory swap between Ukraine and Russia.

Trump also announced the date and location of his meeting with Putin. They will meet on August 15 in the US state of Alaska.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this morning that Ukraine will not give up its territories to Russia. He noted that the answer to the territorial issue is in the Constitution of Ukraine.