Escalating Assaults by Ukraine and Russia; U.S. Administration Dissociates: ANALYSIS REPORT
In the heat of escalating attacks between Ukraine and Russia, the Trump administration has maintained a conspicuous silence, hinting at a strategic shift in mediating the conflict.
President Donald Trump remarkably remained quiet after Ukraine's exhilarating drone strikes deep inside Russia, just before the Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul. The discussions, much like the initial talks in May, primarily followed the format laid out by the Trump administration.
For the first round, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was present, yet the meeting was ultimately deemed a letdown as Russia sent merely a group of working-level diplomats. This time around, high-ranking Trump administration officials such as Rubio played a more diminutive role and held lower expectations.
According to the State Department, Rubio had a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He "reiterated President Trump's call for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace," but this call was at Lavrov's request. The second round of negotiations concluded swiftly without any substantial breakthrough.
Disappointment, Yet Not Surprise: US Officials
After wrapping up, U.S. officials expressed disappointment but not surprise at Russia's extensive list of demands for a 30-day truce, which included items deemed nonstarters by both Ukraine and the Trump administration. These demands were viewed as an attempt by Moscow to postpone meaningful negotiations.
Frustration with the lack of progress toward peace has been mounting in Trump's camp. Officials believe that while he has previously criticized both Ukraine and Russia, he's recently grown increasingly distanced from the matter.
Trump had earlier threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia, but no signs emerged after the second round of talks that such sanctions were being implemented.
Despite the faltering negotiations, the intensity of attacks from both parties has intensified. Ukraine executed a coordinated operation on Sunday, striking multiple Russian airfields with large-scale drone assaults, a surprise attack that resulted from more than a year of meticulous planning and was made possible by secretly positioning drones within Russian territory.
Ukraine claims that over a third of Russia's strategic bomber fleet was incapacitated or destroyed by the attacks. Beyond damaging Russia's military assets, the assault symbolizes a significant victory for Kyiv, proving it can still inflict damage on Moscow despite having fewer resources on the battlefield.
"Those who argue that Putin is winning are wrong. The Ukrainians are holding their own, even though the support they've received from the United States and other free nations has been woefully insufficient," said Clifford D. May, the founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Push for Tougher Sanctions on Russia
"President Trump wants a ceasefire. That's possible, but only if he stands firm on his threats to impose punishing pressure on Putin," May added. A bipartisan group of senators, led by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, is determined to push legislation that week imposing 500% tariffs on any country buying Moscow's energy products.
Graham and Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal strategized with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the weekend in Kyiv. However, so far, Trump has remained inactive, and Russia has continued to inflict harm on Ukraine.
Russia continued its aggressive posturing, deploying a record 472 one-way attack drones and several ballistic and cruise missiles against Ukraine on Sunday. Moscow has shown optimism about its battlefield position ahead of the warmer southern months, believing it has ample opportunity to seize additional Ukrainian territory and negotiating leverage before seriously considering a settlement.
"Russian officials' public statements continue to demonstrate that Russia maintains wider territorial goals in Ukraine beyond the four oblasts that Russia has illegally declared as annexed," according to a recent assessment of Russia's offensive campaign published by the Institute for the Study of War. The report also states that Moscow remains indifferent "to good-faith negotiations to achieve a diplomatic settlement to the war."
On Monday, Zelenskyy told ABC's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz that Ukraine would persist in countering Russia as long as the conflict continues. "Unless they halt, we will respond," he said.
"We are seeking significant action from President Trump to support the sanctions and compel President Putin to end this war," Zelenskyy added.
But at the White House on Monday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the latest events in the conflict only by reiterating Trump's calls for peace. "Look, the reaction is this war must end," she said. "The president desires this war to end at the negotiating table, and he's made that abundantly clear to both leaders, publicly and privately."
- Despite the escalating war-and-conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, the Trump administration has not imposed the threatened new sanctions on Russia, potentially indicating a shift in strategy towards mediating the conflict.
- General-news outlets have reported that high-ranking officials from the Trump administration, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are discussing possible diplomatic solutions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, hinting at a focus on international politics rather than military action.
- In light of Russia's extensive demands for a truce and continued aggressive actions, some experts, like Clifford D. May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, are urging the Trump administration to impose tougher sanctions on Russia to support Ukraine and compel Russia to engage in meaningful negotiations, thereby affecting the general-news and international politics surrounding the war-and-conflicts.
