Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that without “eliminating the root causes of the conflict” Moscow will not permit Ukrainian forces to use any potential pause in fighting for “rest and regrouping.”

“It is necessary to exclude any possibility for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to take advantage of a pause for respite and regrouping of forces,” Ryabkov stated in an interview with Russian state-funded TASS.

The Russian official said this position has been consistent since Putin outlined it to Foreign Ministry leadership nearly a year ago. Ryabkov argued that Washington is well aware of Moscow’s stance and that sanctions threats will not alter Russia’s position.

He criticized what he termed “hotheads who have lost the remnants of common sense in the US Senate” for not acknowledging this reality.

Despite expressing openness to negotiations, Ryabkov set conditions for talks.

“We are open to honest negotiations based on consideration of Russian interests and mutual respect, but we are not deluding ourselves,” he said, adding that Russia will continue efforts to achieve what it calls the goals of its “special military operation.”

Ryabkov said Russia expressed gratitude for US support in resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which Moscow claims were interrupted by Ukraine in 2022. 

The Institute for the Study of War warned earlier that peace terms modeled on 2022 proposals would amount to Ukraine’s capitulation, as Russia seeks to weaken Ukraine militarily and diplomatically to eventually destroy its statehood, seize resources, and use its population for further aggression.

Ryabkov also indicated that Russia views the return of Donald Trump to the White House as grounds for cautious optimism regarding potential normalization of US-Russia relations. He confirmed that the two presidents have held four telephone conversations since Trump’s inauguration.

This statement follows earlier comments by Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, who said that Russia seeks the “complete destruction” of Ukraine, signaling a lack of genuine interest in peace negotiations despite recent talks in Istanbul.

Militarily, Russia is expanding its capabilities, stockpiling over 13,000 missiles and increasing drone production, preparing for a prolonged war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered no concessions during his first phone call with Pope Leo XIV on 5 June, while claiming Russia seeks a political and diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine, according to a report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The ISW reports that the Kremlin continues to present itself as ready for “good-faith” talks while refusing to offer any concessions. During the 5 June call with Pope Leo XIV, Putin blamed Ukraine for escalating the war and stated Russia favors a peaceful resolution through “political and diplomatic means.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Putin thanked the Pope for the Vatican’s willingness to contribute to ending the war.

However, ISW notes that Putin did not offer any shift in Russia’s position. Instead, the Kremlin readout stated that any resolution must address the war’s “root causes” — a phrase the Kremlin regularly uses to shift blame to Ukraine for Russia’s invasion.

Kremlin repeats long-standing narratives

ISW highlights that Russian officials continue to define the war’s “root causes” as NATO’s supposed breach of commitments not to expand eastward and Ukraine’s alleged mistreatment of Russian-speaking minorities. These justifications, the report notes, have been part of Russia’s rhetoric since the start of the invasion.

Despite speaking of diplomacy, ISW stresses that Russia has made no moves to soften its core conditions, which amount to Ukraine’s total capitulation.

On 3 June, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev stated that Russia seeks a “swift victory” and the “complete destruction” of Ukraine’s government. ISW cites this as further evidence that Moscow remains “uninterested in good faith peace negotiations and a near-term resolution to the war that does not acquiesce to its demands.“

“Putin’s conversation with the Pope is likely part of the Kremlin’s ongoing effort to protract negotiations by falsely portraying Russia as interested in meaningful peace negotiations and improve Russia’s negotiating position by making additional battlefield gains,” ISW wrote.

Kremlin officials publicly stated that Russia seeks the “complete destruction” of Ukraine, signaling Moscow’s lack of interest in genuine peace negotiations, according to recent statements analyzed by the Institute for the Study of War.

Russia’s Istanbul memorandum reflects the Kremlin’s public demands for Ukraine to make significant territorial and political concessions while Russia offers no concessions of its own.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev claimed on 3 June that Russia needs negotiations in Istanbul to result in Russia’s “swift victory [in Ukraine] and the complete destruction” of the Ukrainian government rather than a “compromise[d] peace on someone else’s delusional terms,” the ISW reports.

Medvedev stated that Russia’s 2 June Istanbul memorandum aligned with these objectives and threatened that Russia will “explode” everything and “disappear” anyone who opposes Russia in response to recent Ukrainian drone strikes.

The operation Spider Web on 1 June involved over 100 Ukrainian drones, covertly transported into Russia hidden in trucks, which targeted Russian strategic airbases destroying or damaging 41 long-range bombers used for attacks on Ukraine.

The ISW assesses that Russian officials have engaged with the United States in bilateral meetings as part of ongoing US mediation efforts, but have yet to demonstrate willingness to compromise on their long-standing demands.

Russia remains committed to pursuing demands that amount to nothing short of Ukraine’s full capitulation and will continue this objective as long as Putin believes Russia can militarily defeat Ukraine.

Simultaneously, Russia continues expanding its military capabilities against Ukraine, with reports by Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate showing that Russian forces had stockpiled over 13,000 ballistic, cruise, and other missiles as of mid-May 2025.

The stockpile includes almost 600 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, over 100 Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles, almost 300 Kh-101 cruise missiles, over 400 Kalibr cruise missiles, up to 300 Kh-22/32 cruise missiles, about 700 Oniks cruise missiles and Zirkon anti-ship missiles, about 60 North Korean-produced KN-23 ballistic missiles, and approximately 11,000 S-300/400 air defense missiles.

The intelligence directorate estimated that Russia can produce roughly 150-200 missiles per month. The ISW concludes that Russian efforts to increase domestic drone and missile production and ongoing adaptation of strike packages are likely part of preparations for a prolonged war in Ukraine and possibly a future conflict against NATO.

In May 2025, the ISW also reported that Russia increased production of Shahed drones from about 100 to a planned 500 per day, and upgrading drone technologies with AI and improved navigation to evade Ukrainian defenses.

President Vladimir Putin outlined specific conditions for ending the war in Ukraine, including written commitments from Western leaders to halt NATO’s eastward expansion and lift portions of sanctions on Russia.

Three Russian sources with knowledge of negotiations told Reuters that Putin demands written guarantees from major Western powers against NATO enlargement eastward, effectively ruling out membership for Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics.

Additional conditions include Ukrainian neutrality, partial Western sanctions relief, resolution of frozen Russian sovereign assets in the West, and protections for Russian speakers in Ukraine.

One source indicated that if Putin cannot secure a deal on his terms, he will demonstrate through military victories that “peace tomorrow will be even more painful” for Ukrainians and Europeans.

“Putin is ready to make peace but not at any price,” one senior Russian source with knowledge of top-level Kremlin thinking said.

Putin and Russian officials have consistently stated that any peace agreement must address what they term the conflict’s “root causes” – referring to “NATO expansion” and Western support for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine rejects granting Russia veto power over its NATO aspirations and urges strong Western security guarantees to deter future Russian attacks. NATO also previously stated it will not modify its “open door” policy due to Moscow’s demands. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy firmly stated that Ukraine will not accept any agreements or deals about its future that are made without its direct involvement and emphasized the importance of Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that Ukraine’s return to neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status remains a condition for conflict resolution.

Following a two-hour conversation with Trump last week, Putin also announced agreement to work with Ukraine on a memorandum establishing peace accord parameters, including ceasefire timing. Russia says it is currently drafting its version of the memorandum without providing a timeline for completion. Ukrainian and European officials have accused Moscow of deliberate delays while troops advance in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha claimed that Russia’s intensified demands mirror the aggressive posture of 2022 during previous Istanbul peace talks. The Institute for the Study of War warned that accepting Russia’s terms would effectively mean Ukraine’s capitulation and threaten its sovereignty.

On 25 May, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin is conducting a coordinated campaign of military escalation and psychological warfare aimed at weakening Ukraine and eroding Western support.

ISW wrote that Putin “is leveraging long-range strikes against Ukrainian cities, aggressive rhetorical campaigns, and excessive pessimism in the West about the battlefield situation in Ukraine in a multi-pronged effort to degrade Ukrainian morale and convince the West that a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable and that supporting Ukraine is futile.”

Russia attacks Ukraine with 355 drones. Zelenskyy says Moscow escalates attacks to defy global diplomacy

According to ISW, Russia has intensified long-range missile and drone attacks over the last eight months, launching seven of the largest combined strikes of the war since January 2025.

Weaponizing pessimism and pressure

ISW emphasized that the Kremlin is simultaneously saturating the information space with calls for Ukraine to accept concessions on sovereignty and territorial integrity. These demands, however, are not new. ISW notes they are in line with longstanding Russian war aims, and this shows that “Russia’s demands have not changed over the last three years of war.”

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Despite the messaging, ISW points out that the battlefield situation has changed significantly since early 2022. Russia has suffered three years of manpower and equipment losses, weakening its military’s capacity to achieve large-scale offensive success.

On the ground, Russian progress stalls

ISW reports that Russian advances have slowed, with forces relying increasingly on poorly trained and poorly equipped infantry to sustain pressure. Nevertheless, Putin remains committed to masking battlefield realities with a media and missile campaign intended to disrupt international unity and end Western military assistance.

“Putin remains deeply committed to distracting from the realities of the battlefield situation, however, as bringing about the cessation of Western military assistance to Ukraine is Russia’s only real hope of winning this war,” ISW concludes.

Russia’s massive missile and drone assault kills at least 12 civilians, injures 52, between two prisoner swaps