Ball is already lost on Russia's side: military expert on possible ceasefire

This was stated by Serhiy Zgurets, director of the information and consulting company Defense Express, on Espreso TV.  

"It is truly impossible to talk about a truce with Russia because there have already been 25 such ceasefire attempts, and none of them have ever led to an actual cessation of hostilities—they were always violated. 

Now we are discussing the possibility of a ceasefire along a 1,500 km front line, including air and maritime space. Such challenges have never been effectively controlled by any measures ensuring real oversight of such a vast area. But the more important aspect is something else," Zgurets noted.  

According to the director of Defense Express, all previous negotiations between Ukraine and the U.S. focused on assessing Russia's ability to follow a scenario in which a ceasefire is first announced, followed by other steps toward ending the war.  

"We now have a situation where the ball is on Russia's side, and, in a sense, it is already getting lost there. This is because, based on previous statements, we understand that Russia is unlikely to agree to a ceasefire. This, in turn, creates opportunities for the next stage of Ukraine's engagement with the U.S., aimed at strengthening military and defense-technical cooperation. I believe that if Russia continues to resist, it will actually create new opportunities for us to expand our cooperation with the Americans," Zgurets emphasized.

• Moscow insists on barring Ukraine from NATO, banning foreign troops, and recognizing occupied regions as Russian while the U.S. weighs its response.