Peace talks with Russia have reached dead end, fate of war will be decided only on battlefield, - WSJ
In May 2025, Russian troops seized more Ukrainian territory than in any other month since the end of 2022. The Kremlin is conducting a summer offensive to give the West the impression of an imminent victory, but is not showing any willingness to hold peace talks.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, Censor.NET reports.
It is noted that with a large-scale summer offensive, the Kremlin is trying to convince Western capitals that helping Ukraine is a waste of resources.
"The peace talks have reached a dead end, and attention has once again turned to where the war will ultimately be decided: on the battlefield. Russia wants to make sufficient progress on the frontline to force Kyiv to agree to its demands, which are essentially surrender. Ukraine wants to deter Russia and inflict enough damage on its troops to convince the Kremlin that the price of refusing the deal is too high," the article says.
Russia is actively advancing on several fronts, using its numerical superiority and looking for weaknesses in Ukraine's defence.
The publication confirms that in the east, the key target is the city of Kostiantynivka, an important logistics hub that is now almost surrounded. Russia has redeployed units that had previously been advancing on Pokrovsk.
According to experts, this does not necessarily indicate a change in strategy. Russia is ready to spend personnel, equipment and time to capture even those settlements that are not of great strategic importance. The battle for Kostiantynivka is expected to be extremely difficult and protracted.
Meanwhile, in the north, the Russian Federation has deployed more than 50,000 troops near Sumy region and advanced across the border.
"Russian forces have a numerical advantage, trying to stretch the Ukrainian defence and exhaust resources. A possible goal is to capture the regional centre of Sumy," the newspaper writes.
According to one Ukrainian captain fighting near Pokrovsk, Russia is attacking around the clock, although such attacks have not led to significant progress for months.
"They want to get to the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region - it is symbolically important for them," said a Ukrainian captain who was in the area.
In addition, the enemy is building up troops in the Zaporizhzhia region. According to WSJ sources familiar with the matter, some Ukrainian special forces have been deployed there to help deter a possible offensive.
