In its annual threat assesment report published on Tuesday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said both Putin and Zelenskyy are interested in continuing discussions with the United States on how to end the war and have shown a willingness to experiment with partial ceasefires.
“However, both leaders, for now, probably still see the risks of a longer war as less than those of an unsatisfying settlement. For Russia, positive battlefield trends allow for some strategic patience, and for Ukraine, conceding territory or neutrality to Russia without substantial security guarantees from the West could prompt domestic backlash and future insecurity,” the report said.
Kyiv is recalibrating its demands as a response to Trump. Rather than discuss security guarantees with the U.S., Zelenskyy is now talking to European leaders, conceding that Kyiv’s preferred option of joining NATO is being blocked by Washington.
While the U.S. tries to exert maximum pressure on Ukraine, there is no evidence of a similar squeeze on the Kremlin, but Ukraine continues to argue it’s not at fault.
“Ukraine has demonstrated its desire for peace. On March 11, Ukraine agreed to the U.S. proposal to introduce a complete ceasefire. In response, Russia put forward a number of conditions, ultimatums, and all kinds of manipulations; that is, it did not accept this proposal,” said Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi.
“I think that from this very fact we can see that Ukraine is indeed not an obstacle to peace, Ukraine is a partner in achieving peace. I hope that the American side also realizes and sees this,” Tykhyi added.
