What are the chances of peace in Ukraine after the negotiations between Witkoff and Kushner: ISW analyzed the results
Vladimir Putin has shown no willingness to make meaningful compromises to end the war against Ukraine and continues to rely on achieving maximalist goals through military means. His position may be based on a distorted view of the situation on the front.
This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts noted that the Kremlin continues to insist on the demands that Putin put forward in June 2024: the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, including territories that Russia does not control, the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine, as well as Kyiv’s refusal to join NATO.
The words of Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov after talks with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner indicate the Kremlin’s unwillingness to make significant compromises.
Analysts say Putin believes Russia has the upper hand on the front. However, ISW notes that the Russian military may be exaggerating its own successes and creating a distorted picture of the situation for him.
Analysts also consider the Kremlin’s deadline for capturing the entire Donetsk region by the end of 2026 to be unrealistic. Russian troops have been fighting for Konstantinovka since October 2025, but have still not been able to capture it, nor have they taken Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Druzhkivka.
According to ISW, in August the pace of Russian troops’ advance was 2.91 square kilometers per day. At this rate, analysts estimate that the capture of the remaining 19% of Donetsk region could last until October 2, 2032.
By the way, US President’s special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner made their first statements in Kyiv after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. They emphasized the need not only to end the war, but also to create conditions for lasting peace and the restoration of Ukraine.
Recall that on Sunday, September 6, US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Ukraine . Later, it became known that negotiations with representatives of US President Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had started in Kyiv .
The day before, on September 5, US President’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow , where they met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
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