Russian President Vladimir Putin still believes that he can win the war against Ukraine and achieve his goals, so there are no grounds for optimism regarding negotiations between the U.S. and Russia at this time. This was stated by Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski at a joint press conference with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže at a military base in Ādaži. According to Sikorski, a positive aspect was that U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv after talks in Moscow. This allowed the Ukrainian side to directly present the situation on the front to the American representatives and discuss the difficulties the country is facing. However, the head of Polish diplomacy noted that the Russian position remains unchanged. > "Russian representatives openly state that their goals in the war have not changed." In Sikorski's assessment, Moscow's rhetoric does not indicate that Russian demands have come even partially closer to the Ukrainian position. He emphasized that Russia's goals remain absolutely unacceptable both for Ukraine and for its allies. Furthermore, Moscow continues to reject proposals for a ceasefire that could create conditions for full-fledged negotiations. According to the Polish minister, Putin still relies on two main advantages — the possibility of further mobilization and the factor of winter. In this regard, Sikorski urged allies to continue strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, including support for its ability to strike at Russian oil refining infrastructure and hold the front line. Earlier, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff stated that significant progress had been made in efforts to end the war following visits to Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend. After meeting with Vladimir Putin, the American delegation traveled to Kyiv, where they held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Following the meeting, the parties reported that they discussed "new ideas" regarding possible ways to end the war, although the content was not disclosed.
