US readies new pressure phase in Ukraine talks, source says

The US is preparing a new attempt to exert pressure, this time through a proposal to lift sanctions on Russia in exchange for a ceasefire without any security guarantees for Ukraine. This is according to sources within the Ukrainian government.

Why negotiations stalled

Formally, the freeze in the negotiation process is linked to the war in Iran, which has completely shifted the attention of US President Donald Trump and his negotiators. But sources within the Ukrainian government say: in reality, the impasse began back in February, before the start of the Iranian operation.

That said, some progress had indeed been made. The Ukrainian, American, and Russian sides had more or less agreed on quite a few points of the peace plan. The military had agreed on the terminology regarding the ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops.

But everything comes down to one thing—Donbas.

Donbas is red line

Ukraine has made it clear to all participants in the negotiations: Donbas will not be surrendered. Not to Moscow, not to Washington, not to anyone else.

The Russians' reaction was telling: they began making increasingly demanding demands regarding the so-called demilitarized free economic zone in Donbas. This would mean the complete surrender of Ukrainian territories, an option that Kyiv rejected outright.

The American side's reaction is different, but no less problematic.

"Trump's team is absolutely convinced that we're only talking about this small piece of land. They say, 'Why are you digging in your heels? Just hand it over to the Russians, after all, we’ll end the war, investments will flow in, and everything will be fine," says the source.

However, Kyiv is unable to explain to them that ceding its territory is unacceptable not merely as a matter of principle. The fact is that the Russians would immediately lay claim to other territories, and not just territories.

US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner never visited Kyiv. According to RBC-Ukraine sources, the reason is simple: there is no point in going if they are just going to hear the same arguments about Donbas here.

Some believed that perhaps, on the ground, they might be able to convince someone. But even that is hardly realistic, the position of both the government and society regarding Donbas remains unchanged.

"During the previous round of negotiations, there was an attempt to pressure Ukraine into some form of territorial concession, which we refused, and to pressure Russia into some alternative format, a free economic zone, maintaining the status quo, or stepping back to a neutral distance," says a source in the Presidential circle.

Trump achieved neither the first nor the second outcome. Russia bet on strikes against the energy sector and lost that bet.

Now, a new phase is on the horizon. The Americans may try to sell the lifting of sanctions in exchange for some ephemeral concessions from the Kremlin.

Specifically, a ceasefire without guarantees, as previously reported by RBC-Ukraine.

"Of course, long-range strikes will continue regardless of diplomacy; that is our tactic," adds a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Former US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, states that Russia is losing the war, not winning it.

According to him, since 2014, Ukraine has lost only about one percent of its territory, and the Ukrainian military has performed brilliantly. Kellogg calls on Moscow to come to the negotiating table.

Nico Lange, former chief of staff at the German Ministry of Defense, stated in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that European partners' attempts to please Trump have yielded no results.

According to him, Europe lacks a clear strategy for the next steps, so Ukraine is forced to act on its own.