Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov started off the week by saying the Kremlin will announce the date of the next direct talks with Ukraine in the near future following the first ‘direct’ Istanbul meeting on May 16. Lavrov has in follow-up to his initial Monday remarks stated that work on a formal peace outline is at an “advanced stage.” On Wednesday he has announced that the next talks are set for June 2 in Istanbul.
But in the meantime, Russia and Ukraine have stepped up drone and missile attacks on each other’s territories in a massive way. This has led President Trump to warn of “very bad things” to come for Moscow, and he provocatively mused whether Putin has gone “crazy” in a Truth Social post.
Trump even said Putin is “playing with fire”. Moscow has largely shrugged off the hardline rhetoric out of the White House, instead warning that emotionalism shouldn’t thwart genuine efforts toward ending the conflict.
It’s been obvious to all honest observers of the war that Russia has the clear battlefield momentum and manpower to keep that momentum, amid more reports of slow but steady gains in the Donbass. Given this, Russia’s spy chief in fresh statements Wednesday has said that Moscow cannot afford to be ‘weak’ right now.
The country’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, said as follows:
“Russia has no right to be weak… and to abandon its own values and pursue the chimera of totalitarian liberalism and globalism.”
According to Naryshkin, “history teaches us that the security on the Eurasian continent and ultimately the whole world depends on Russia’s firm standing.”
Amid this backdrop, one senior Russian source has told Reuters in a Wednesday report that “Putin is ready to make peace but not at any price.”
Multiple Russian sources cited in the reaport said Putin wants a “written” pledge by major Western powers not to enlarge the NATO military alliance eastward. This is being taken to mean he’s asking to West to formal ruling out ever extending membership to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.
These written guarantees and other conditions have been spelled out in English-language Russian state media as follows:
- Ukraine’s permanent neutrality
- Partial sanctions relief for Russia
- Return of frozen Russian assets
- Protections for Ukraine’s Russian-speaking people
And then an or else was offered as part of the ultimatum. While not officially issued by the Kremlin, this appears some very intentional signaling by Putin officials. It was conveyed via the Reuters report:
The first source said that, if Putin realizes he is unable to reach a peace deal on his own terms, he will seek to show the Ukrainians and the Europeans through military strength that “peace tomorrow will be even more painful.”
Trump’s frustration with Putin boils over with no Ukraine peace deal in sight
— carin jodha fischer (@carin__fischer) May 28, 2025
But Ukraine’s President Zelensky has made clear of the Donbass and even Crimea, “this is our land” – and has repeatedly said he won’t make territorial concessions. While hawks in Europe are supporting this unbending stance, it’s as yet unclear whether Washington is brining the pressure on Kiev to at least offer Crimea.
Meanwhile, we highlighted earlier what one prominent conservative American commentator had this to say: “Sorry, but if you want to destroy your base and watch your presidency go down in flames, start something with Russia. It’s absolutely asinine.”
This could all spiral into WW3 in the blink of an eye…
Word in Moscow is if Merz uses German weapons to strike Moscow – and we all know that Kiev has no independent capacity to operate Tauruses or other long-range missiles – then Russia will have no choice but to strike Berlin directly.
Simple enough. pic.twitter.com/8jYMr0zpUe
— Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) May 28, 2025
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