Bloomberg: Putin is ready to end the war only on his terms as Moscow hardens demands

Vladimir Putin is prepared to end the war in Ukraine only on his own terms, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources close to the Kremlin. The sources said Moscow’s demands are becoming tougher because Russian officials believe they hold a military advantage over Ukraine.

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If nobody intervenes, considerably more could be at stake.

The report also examined what could come from the visit to Moscow by U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, said the visit came at a critical moment as the current escalation was rapidly intensifying.

“If nobody intervenes, considerably more could be at stake,” Charap said, according to the report. A European diplomat also noted that the U.S. president’s special envoys had flown first to Moscow and planned to visit Kyiv afterward.

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Diplomacy really works, and first we must try to engage with those who are our allies.

“Diplomacy really works, and first we must try to engage with those who are our allies,” said Jovita Neliupšienė, the European Union’s ambassador in Washington. She said Moscow had not abandoned its military objectives. “For us Europeans, the most important priority remains unchanged: to provide Ukraine with everything it needs for its defense.”

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For us Europeans, the most important priority remains unchanged: to provide Ukraine with everything it needs for its defense.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin’s meeting with Trump’s special envoys lasted more than three hours and was substantive, constructive, and open. After their Moscow visit, Witkoff and Kushner planned to travel to Kyiv, their first visit to the Ukrainian capital.

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Substantive, constructive, and open.