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Talks about negotiations over Ukraine have now become a daily fixture in the public sphere - not only among experts, but also in the media and in official statements. Dozens of analysts discuss diplomatic moves by Russia, the United States, Ukraine, and European leaders every day, closely tracking new meetings between special envoys, official drafts of peace plans, and the responses to them.

At the same time, frustration has been voiced repeatedly in the White House over the length and complexity of the negotiating process. Donald Trump himself has stated that the endless discussions are exhausting him. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian side has delivered to Washington its response and proposals regarding the latest draft peace plan developed jointly with European leaders. In Moscow, that response was evaluated instantly - even before it had been read. Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide and one of Moscow's chief negotiators, Yuri Ushakov, commented that he was confident the document would contain no constructive proposals.

However, before even discussing the substance of a possible end to the war, it is essential to state a simple but uncomfortable reality upfront: Vladimir Putin is not negotiating in order to end the war. For him, negotiations have become a tool to lock in the results of his aggression, buy time, and restore a degree of international legitimacy - without abandoning his core objectives.

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Trump Envoy Has Financial Ties With Former Adviser to Putin's 'Money Man' Now Leading Kremlin Peace Talks

Steve Witkoff's real-estate empire is bankrolled by a former adviser to Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and a key architect of Moscow's Ukraine negotiations

Philip Haworth

There is another equally simple reality that must be acknowledged: from the Kremlin's perspective, negotiations are not a search for compromise, but a literal continuation of the war by other means, with diplomacy embedded directly into the military backdrop.

Not long ago, Vladimir Putin openly admitted that he is satisfied with the current state of affairs - referring to the war and all the consequences associated with it. I see no reason to doubt his sincerity here. The American administration appears increasingly willing to pursue compromises with the Kremlin in the hope of halting active hostilities in Ukraine.

This became even clearer after the publication of a leaked recording of conversations between Trump's representative, Steve Witkoff, and Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov. That recording offered a more explicit picture of Washington's current approach to the process - one in which the U.S. representative appears prepared to accept virtually any compromise with the Kremlin in order to reach some form of outcome.

And today, against the backdrop of the bombardment of Ukrainian cities, missile and drone strikes on both sides of the front line, and bloody battles for populated areas, we hear less about any concrete progress and more about the fact that the parties continue contacts, working meetings, and diplomatic consultations. These are then presented as "results of negotiations" in and of themselves - even though they are not.

So What Does Putin Actually Want?

Putin's primary objective is the recognition of a new status quo - which can be described as his minimum plan. This does not necessarily imply the formal, legal recognition of the occupied territories. The Kremlin likely understands all too well how toxic such recognition would be for Western governments. What matters far more is de facto acceptance of a frozen front line and the transfer of the remaining part of Donetsk region under Russian control without armed resistance.

Any ceasefire that locks in the current situation works in Russia's favor. It allows Moscow to consolidate control over occupied territories, restore logistics, ...