Former Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Valerii Chaly believes that Russia’s agreement to negotiations is an information operation to buy time and avoid sanctions. Chaly emphasizes that Russia’s ceasefire memorandum has long been published, and the Kremlin’s positions remain largely unchanged, Radio NV reports. 

In August 2025, Putin declared that the conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine remain:

• Ukraine must fully withdraw its troops from the so-called Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, which Russia claims as its own,
• Ukraine must renounce NATO membership and adopt a neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status,
• The Kremlin demands the lifting of Western sanctions imposed due to its aggression.

Ukraine and its international partners reject these demands as unacceptable since they imply capitulation.

“Russia understands it can still buy time… it’s simply a stunt,” says diplomat Chaly.

However, he admits some Russian demands may have softened, such as Ukraine’s neutrality or the official status of the Russian language.

A trap for Ukraine — US pressure to accept unpopular decisions

Chaly warns that the Americans, as mediators, may pressure Kyiv to accept terms unsupported by Ukrainian society.

“Trump is already out of the game, we are left alone with the Russians, and Ukraine is essentially blamed for breaking agreements. Then the war goes on Russia’s terms, no sanctions, and existing sanctions start to be lifted. That’s the trap,” he says. 

Thus, the Kremlin could achieve the legalization of occupation.

Russia may offer “commercial” concessions

The diplomat suggests Russia might offer the US joint access to natural resource development as a bargaining chip to pressure Kyiv.

“The Russians present it as a ‘gift’ in exchange for American pressure on Ukraine to accept maximum Russian ultimatums,” Chaly adds.

He stresses Ukraine must remain vigilant against such traps, as “Russians are skilled at setting them,” and that it is premature to expect a genuine peace process.

One such trap would be Ukraine accepting the de facto recognition of occupied territories as Russian.

Ukraine needs strong allies at the negotiation table

Chaly underscores the risk of isolation if European countries are absent from peace talks.

“If Europe is not present, who will stand with us at the table?” he asks.

Ukraine must avoid empty formalities in negotiations.

“Because while Russia pretends to negotiate, it continues ballistic missile strikes on the front lines,” Chaly warns.

She was killed to be silenced. On July 19, in Lviv, Ukrainians marked the first anniversary of the death of Iryna Farion. She was a prominent linguist, scholar, politician, and symbol of the fight for Ukrainian identity, UkrInform reports.

Her murder in Lviv in 2023 at the age of 60 is seen not merely as a criminal act but as part of Russia’s hybrid war.

“The enemy is trying to use every tool to divide our nation,” said Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, following her death.

The attack on Farion is also regarded as a psychological attempt to intimidate its most courageous Ukrainian voices.

A year after the assassination, her family, colleagues, students, and community members gathered for a memorial service at the Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church. Later, a procession made its way to Lychakiv Cemetery, where Farion is buried.

People will also assemble in silence in the courtyard on Masaryk Street, where she was killed, at 7:22 PM, the exact moment the fatal shot was fired one year ago. 

Farion’s daughter, Sofiia Osoba, left a powerful message on Instagram.

“A year. What is it like to live without Mom?.. I am an orphan. Ukraine is orphaned… I don’t want 19 July… This is the end of everything. 23:20. The end of your life. Now, it will be years,” she wrote.

Six days after the murder, Ukrainian law enforcement detained the suspect, 19-year-old Dnipro resident Vyacheslav Zinchenko. The court trial is currently ongoing.

Russia moves to erase Ukrainian language from schools in occupied Ukrainian territories, the UK Ministry of Defense reported in its 18 July 2025 intelligence update. A draft order from Russia’s Education Ministry outlines plans to eliminate Ukrainian from school curricula starting September 2025. The Ministry justifies the move by citing an allegedly “changed geopolitical situation.”

Kremlin prepares to ban Ukrainian in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson schools

The draft order will primarily affect children in Russian-occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, where Ukrainian has remained a mandatory subject despite the occupation. Under the new plan, schools will no longer be allowed to teach Ukrainian as part of the core curriculum. The order also reportedly reduces the study of Ukrainian literature to a minimal level, further cutting off cultural education.

Long-term effort to eliminate Ukrainian identity

The UK Ministry of Defense reported:

“This follows reported long-term Russian efforts to reduce and eliminate the Ukrainian language in schools in other illegally occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, whilst Russia’s President Putin has simultaneously repeatedly demanded protections for the Russian language within unoccupied territories of Ukraine.”

Cultural cleansing through education policy

The UK Ministry of Defense reports that the Russian Education Ministry’s plans mark “a further addition” to the Kremlin’s “long-standing Russification policy” in occupied Ukrainian territory — a campaign that seeks to “extirpate Ukrainian culture, identity, and statehood.”