Russia has less leverage and is in a worse position today than it was in Istanbul in 2022.Yet its demands remain almost unchanged. And peace? Still nowhere in sight. Here’s why :
Russia has never offered Ukraine a serious peace deal during the full-scale war.Why? Because it hasn’t reached its strategic goals. Ending the war now would mean losing. So it keeps demanding surrender—and calling it “peace.”
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
In Istanbul 2022, Russia occupied nearly 30% of Ukraine and was still advancing. Today, it holds less than 20%. It’s suffered over a million casualties. And it still hasn’t captured a single Ukrainian regional capital or special status city. That’s not leverage. That’s failure.
Ukraine is stronger than in March 2022. It’s:
• More sovereign
• More united
• More militarized
Russia is further from turning Ukraine into a satellite state than it was before the invasion. That’s a strategic disaster.
Yet Russia keeps its maximalist demands—because it’s buying time. Putin knows Ukraine won’t accept them. And he knows Trump won’t pressure him. Only the naive blame Ukraine for “not stopping the war.” There’s been no real offer to accept.
If the West doesn’t pressure Russia, there will be no peace. So far, Europe and the US have avoided that pressure. And the war continues. Ukraine bleeds while the West waits.How long will that last?
Lavrov Demands Russian Language Rights as Core Condition for Peace
Conclusion: The Alaska Talks won’t bring peace. Russia’s leverage is weaker than in March 2022, but the West still won’t give Ukraine the leverage it needs. Russia’s goals are unreachable. But it won’t stop unless it’s forced to. Ukraine deserves peace. Russia deserves consequences.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
