Putin Rejects Peace Talks and Plots Escalation of the Ukraine War

Kremlin‑linked sources tell Reuters that President Vladimir Putin has dismissed any possibility of negotiations with Kyiv and is preparing a new military escalation. The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia remains “open to a peaceful solution” but has sufficient capacity to continue its “special military operation” unilaterally. Sources said recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries and ports have hardened Putin’s resolve to push on, with the primary objective of fully seizing the remaining parts of the Donbas region. One source who meets Putin regularly warned of a “high probability” that the conflict will intensify in the coming months, and officials in Moscow have discussed expanding a security buffer into eastern Ukraine and even targeting NATO facilities in the Baltics or Romania. Western officials, including Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski, have warned that Russia may be planning provocations against other European states, while Russian media cite the possibility of a new, broader mobilisation to support further offensives. Despite occasional diplomatic overtures, the overall stance remains a refusal to compromise and a preparation for deeper combat operations.