Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow hopes for more peace talks with Ukraine, but that the momentum of the war is in its favor. This statement comes despite a looming sanctions deadline from Washington, where US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia unless it moves by August 8 to end the conflict.
Putin expressed mounting frustration with his counterpart, accusing him of “bullshit” and describing Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine as “disgusting”. However, he claimed that three sessions of peace talks had yielded some positive results, and Russia was expecting negotiations to continue.
Russia has been on the offensive in Ukraine, with troops attacking along the entire front line. The Kremlin leader cited the capture of the Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar after a 16-month battle as evidence of Moscow’s advantage. However, Ukraine denies that it is under full Russian control.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for direct talks between him and Putin, saying that Russia’s negotiators do not have the mandate to take significant decisions. The US has proposed this idea, which Ukraine has also supported. However, Russia claims that a leaders’ meeting could only take place to set the seal on agreements reached by negotiators.
Putin emphasized that Russia seeks a “long and lasting peace” that would satisfy both countries and ensure European security. He was speaking alongside his ally Alexander Lukashenko at talks on an island in Lake Ladoga, where they have met several times before.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-facing-trump-deadline-signals-no-change-russias-stance-ukraine-2025-08-01