Moscow rejects real peace talks, eyes Ukraine's full capitulation - ISW

The analysts made this statement after Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia will end its war against Ukraine only when it “achieves the objectives it set from the beginning.”

ISW noted that Kremlin officials keep insisting any settlement must address what they call the war’s “root causes,” which Moscow defines as NATO’s eastward expansion and alleged discrimination against Russian-speakers in Ukraine.

Analysts also recalled that the Kremlin’s initial war aims included removing Ukraine’s government, installing a pro-Russian puppet regime, binding Ukraine to refuse from NATO membership, and scrapping NATO’s open-door policy.

In June, reviewing a new round of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, ISW concluded that both the meeting and Russia’s “memorandum” of demands showed Moscow is insisting only on Ukraine’s full capitulation — and will keep pursuing that end as long as Vladimir Putin believes Russia can win militarily.

Russia seeks to derail the peace process and prolong the war to gain further advantages on the battlefield, the analysts stress.

In its Sept. 5 report, ISW said Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is trying to make negotiations impossible by repeating false claims about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “illegitimacy” and shifting blame for the lack of progress onto Kyiv.

On Oct. 31, the Financial Times, citing sources, reported that the United States canceled a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin in Budapest due to Russia’s intransigence on hardline demands regarding Ukraine that Moscow set out in a memorandum.