And so to the far more pressing question: Does Russian President Vladimir Putin even want peace?
All the available evidence suggests he does not. On the contrary, Putin remains fully committed to his overarching goal – obliterating Ukrainian statehood. For over a decade, Putin has made his intentions crystal clear.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Credit: AP
He has consistently dismissed Ukraine as an artificial state, and labelled those who oppose this view as anti-Russian or, worse, Nazis.
Even since Trump came to power the Kremlin has shown no signs of backing down, doubling down on its demands despite international efforts for peace. Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected a proposal from Britain and France to deploy peacekeepers to monitor a future agreement, a plan even welcomed by Trump.
Russia’s military aggression continues unabated. In Kursk, Russian forces are actively pushing Ukrainian troops out of the region, aiming to strip Kyiv of a key bargaining chip in any potential negotiations.
Lavrov also has dismissed calls for a moratorium on attacks targeting energy infrastructure. When American officials raised the idea, Lavrov claimed Russia didn’t strike power sources that supply Ukraine’s population – a claim widely discredited.
Putin’s refusal to compromise underscores that Moscow’s true aim is not peace, but continued domination. Every move – from rejecting peacekeepers to escalating military action – makes it clear: Russia is far more interested in winning than negotiating.
When Putin launched his full-scale invasion in February 2022, he framed it as a [“special military operation” for the “demilitarisation” and “denazification”](/link/follow-20170101-p59zhq) of Ukraine.
Yet, what these terms really meant became apparent during failed peace talks in Istanbul months later, Putin’s demand was chilling: a defenseless Ukraine, stripped of military capability and forced into neutrality, and with no ability to fend off future Russian aggression.
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In those negotiations, Putin’s representatives insisted that Ukraine’s army be reduced to a mere 50,000 troops – an impossibly small force in a nation of over 40 million. They also demanded strict limits on Ukraine’s military assets, including tanks and missiles, while Russia would face no such restrictions.
Putin’s obsession with Ukraine is not a matter that can be settled by a handshake or a compromise. Trump’s attempts to end the war by leveraging his famed deal-making skills will likely be futile.
The notion that a peace deal can be brokered with Putin is a dangerous delusion, as the US is about to find out.
The world has seen this play out before. History is littered with examples of leaders who pursued peace at any cost, only to find that their adversary had no interest in anything short of total victory. Even after Putin signed up to both Minsk accords, Russian and Moscow-backed forces proceeded to violate those agreements.
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Until the international community demands that Putin recognise Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent, sovereign nation, any talk of peace is irrelevant.
Negotiations with a leader so singularly focused on destruction will only delay the inevitable – more suffering, more destruction, and more death.
Zelensky is no paragon. He has made mistakes and missteps along the way. He is not negotiating from a position of strength.
But for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the world, the only path forward is to confront Putin with the reality that his war will not succeed, and that Ukraine’s sovereignty is non-negotiable.