Russia seeks to use peace talks as cover for continued offensive — ISW

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) shared the information.

According to the report, U.S., Ukraine and Europe insist that a ceasefire must precede peace talks to stop hostilities and create conditions for diplomacy. Russia rejects this logic, attempting to prolong the process and use negotiations to further its offensive on the frontlines.

“Peace talks ahead of an established ceasefire would allow Russia to continue to make advances in Ukraine, which Russia would likely try to leverage in Ukrainian–Russian talks to extract further concessions,” ISW states.

If peace talks start before a ceasefire is established, it will give Russia the opportunity to continue pressuring Ukraine.

Russia also makes unacceptable demands, including full control over Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions — even those not occupied. Moreover, during the May 16 talks in Istanbul, the Russian delegation threatened to expand claims to Kharkiv and Sumy regions, indicating Kremlin’s intention to escalate demands in future negotiations.

ISW emphasized: “Russia must break its pattern of protracting negotiations and failing to offer any meaningful concessions to Ukraine in order for legitimate and good-faith negotiations to lead to a lasting and sustainable end to its war against Ukraine.”

Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul

In a nighttime address on May 11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed he was ready for direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next week, but he dismissed the idea of a 30-day truce. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would keep working with both sides and predicted that the coming week would be “great.”

On the evening of May 14, Russia announced the composition of its delegation for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.

Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not be present during the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Turkey on May 15. Ultimately, Putin did not appear at the talks, and Zelenskyy flew to Albania after meeting Erdogan in Ankara.

On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the United States, and Turkey took place in Istanbul. Following this, negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine began, with some delay.