Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The ongoing Ukrainian long-range campaign targeting Russian oil and gas infrastructure has reportedly made Putin furious.
Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this week, US President Donald Trump shared some optimistic hopes for Ukraine.
After speaking with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin—the latter by phone—Trump claimed a peaceful resolution was closer than anyone realized.
“I think we’re going to get it settled, hopefully soon,” he said.
The Kremlin, however, disagrees.
According to a Reuters report, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is completely rejecting peace talks. Instead, he is reportedly preparing to intensify the conflict as it enters its fifth year.
Putin fuming
Three sources close to the Kremlin revealed that recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and ports have made the president furious.
One insider who meets regularly with Putin said there is a high probability of a major escalation soon.
To make matters worse, Putin has allegedly dug in his heels, snapping at advisers proposing a ceasefire along the current front lines, the source said.
He wants the entire Donbas region.
Possible mobilization coming
In an interview with The Telegraph, Czech President Petr Pavel warned that Ukraine has a mere two months to jump-start peace negotiations before Moscow raises the stakes.
The retired general explained that Russian President Vladimir Putin is waiting out domestic political cycles before taking drastic steps.
Pavel told the paper: “Russia will have parliamentary elections in September. President Putin will hardly declare mobilization before then, but once the elections are over, the window will shrink.”
Dangerous new plans
This stubborn focus on the battlefield comes at a massive cost.
At the beginning of 2026, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report estimating that around 1.2 million Russian troops had been killed, wounded, or gone missing since 2022.
Those estimates are now six months old, and according to the latest figures from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian casualties have long surpassed 1.4 million.
Still, Russian military experts are openly talking about expanding the war even further. A former defense official, Andrei Ilnitsky, wrote in the Kommersant newspaper that Russia could next destroy 30 major industrial sites in Ukraine.
After that, he suggested targeting European Union factories and NATO bases.
Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute told Reuters that Moscow might use isolated drone or cyberattacks to spark political divisions. The goal is to sow discord.
“The Russians would not be aiming for a war with NATO. But it could be used to divide NATO over how to respond,” Watling said.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov maintained the official line. He told reporters that while Russia is ready for a peaceful resolution, the country has “enough capability to act independently and continue the special military operation.”
