Putin is planning his final strike VIDEO

Russian President Vladimir Putin has shifted his focus toward seizing more Ukrainian territory by force. He plans to further expand his demands once Russia fully establishes control over the key Donbas region. At the same time, officials in Kyiv believe they are now less vulnerable to US pressure to agree to a quick and unfavorable settlement. This is because Russia’s advance is slowing, while drone strikes are increasingly damaging the enemy deep behind front lines.

Although US President Donald Trump said last week that a deal was “getting closer every day” following a brief ceasefire, sources say neither side sees any point in continuing negotiations. However, US officials have consistently denied ever trying to pressure Ukraine.

Kyiv has lost trust in Washington

In Ukraine, officials believe talks stalled back in February after the last round of negotiations. They are frustrated that Washington failed to push Putin to soften his demands.

“The US side has extracted absolutely no progress from Russia. Everything that could be negotiated has already been done,” one Ukrainian official told FT.

Russia said last week that further negotiations are pointless unless Ukraine fully withdraws from Donbas, a region in eastern Ukraine largely controlled by Moscow.

“Russia is still trying to achieve victory on the battlefield while sticking to its maximalist demands. Russian actions completely contradict any claimed willingness to negotiate,” said a senior German diplomat.

Although losing faith in success, both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are trying to keep Trump engaged in the process. “The US remains engaged in the diplomatic process,” Zelensky said on Monday, acknowledging that “the war in Iran is now attracting the most attention from America and its president.” He added, however, that he believes the American public still wants an end to the war in Europe.

Putin rejects European mediators

Ukrainian and Russian officials have continued to meet separately with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s envoys, who are expected to visit both countries soon. However, Putin has rejected European mediation proposals, as well as Kyiv’s requests for a neutral-site meeting, raising doubts about how committed he is to peace.

Last weekend, he proposed former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a possible negotiator, describing him as a “leader they trust who has not spoken badly about us.” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it would be “unreasonable” to allow Putin to choose Europe’s representative, noting Schröder’s closeness to the Kremlin would effectively mean he would be “sitting on both sides of the table.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said briefly: “We categorically oppose such a nomination.”

Russia’s vulnerability to Ukrainian drone attacks—which led Moscow to hold a scaled-down version of its Victory Day parade last weekend—as well as slow progress on the battlefield, have not shaken Putin’s belief that the Ukrainian front will collapse.

“Final defeat of the enemy”

At a rare press conference on Saturday, Putin insisted that his military—parading without armored vehicles for the first time in nearly 20 years—is focused on the “final defeat of the enemy.” He claims that defeat will come soon despite Western support for Kyiv. He expressed confidence that Ukrainian resistance to the invasion is nearing its end.

“They agreed to help and began to fuel the conflict with Russia, which is still ongoing. I think things are coming to an end, but it is still a serious matter,” the Russian president said.

Top Russian commanders have assured Putin that their forces can capture the entire Donbas by autumn, FT has learned from people close to the Kremlin leader and from assessments by Ukrainian intelligence. After that, Putin plans to further raise the cost of any ceasefire by escalating territorial demands.

Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, said last month that success in Donbas would allow the Kremlin to demand even more. Putin could then insist on the surrender of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia—regions Russia claimed to have annexed in 2022, although large parts remain under Ukrainian control. At a summit with Trump in Alaska last summer, Putin offered to freeze the front line in those two regions, but only if all his other demands were met.

Putin obsessed with Donbas: “He does not want to stop, the goal is still Kyiv”

Vladimir Putin has become obsessed with the full capture of Donbas, although in earlier stages of the war he reportedly showed willingness in private circles to freeze the conflict along current front lines, FT sources said.

“I urge him to end the war on current lines. But he keeps saying: ‘No, I cannot compromise on this,’” one source said. Although Kherson and Zaporizhzhia do not hold the same “symbolic significance” for Putin as Crimea or Donbas, they remain a key focus of Russian war efforts.

Slow Russian advance

Despite Putin’s ambitions, a breakthrough on the front line still appears distant. Russian advances have slowed to a crawl, while Ukraine is inflicting increasing damage on Russian forces both at the front and deep in the rear.

“Ukrainian forces are intensifying strikes deep in enemy territory. Targets include Russian logistics, ammunition depots, and bases housing troops,” said Dmytro Putyata of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces, speaking to the Financial Times. He said these attacks, combined with drone strikes on supply routes, are causing serious disruption to troop rotations and equipment shortages.

Real goals: from Kyiv to Odesa

Capturing Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would be even more challenging for Putin than Donbas. The largest cities in these regions lie beyond the Dnipro River, in areas Russian forces either withdrew from or never controlled. However, sources involved in informal talks to end the war say Putin’s real ambitions are far larger.

It is believed Putin still seeks dominance over Ukraine at least up to the Dnipro River, which would include capturing Kyiv and the key port city of Odesa.

“They tell him Ukrainians are struggling, that the front is collapsing and they are running out of manpower. Remember, the plan was always to take Kyiv. That task was set and must be carried out,” one interlocutor told the Financial Times.

Endless ‘security zone’

Putin himself hinted last Saturday that Russia’s territorial ambitions could exceed current official demands. Asked whether Ukrainian drone strikes mean Russia must expand a “security zone” deeper into Ukrainian territory, Putin was cryptic but clear.

“You have answered your own question. We must ensure that no one threatens anyone, that’s all,” he said, suggesting the “security zone” would be pushed as far as Moscow deems necessary to keep Ukrainian weapons out of reach.