Putin must feel Ukraine’s military force for peace talks to move forward — Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, founder of the Close Ukraine’s Sky Charity Fund and former Deputy Chief of the Ukrainian General Staff (2006–2010), said this on Espreso TV.

"The Ukrainian defense forces need to fight very well to hold their positions and prevent Russian advances. The situation around Pokrovsk is worsening; Russian forces have already surrounded it along with Myrnohrad. Kostiantynivka is being attacked from three sides, from the Pokrovsk direction. So, tactical-level Russian advances have been happening over the past six months.

If we significantly impact the capabilities and potential of the Russian Armed Forces by the end of the year, this will lay the groundwork for real negotiations to stop the fighting," Romanenko said.

According to the lieutenant general, as long as Putin does not feel Ukraine’s strength on the battlefield, these processes will continue to stall, and at best, negotiations will be limited to humanitarian issues.

"Of course, we need to return prisoners, civilians, and children, but this is not a conversation about fundamentally stopping the fighting or transitioning to strategic-level peace talks.

Therefore, the task for the second half of the year is exactly this, and we must fully support the Ukrainian Defense Forces so they can accomplish this important strategic mission," Romanenko added.

• On July 23, the third round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul. The main topics were ceasefire, prisoner release, and organizing a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.