Instead of looking for an off-ramp in the war against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin might be stepping on the gas. People familiar with Kremlin thinking told Reuters that Putin may well escalate the war in the coming months, with one describing Putin as having "dug in his heels" on seizing the rest of the eastern Donbas region and rejecting advisers' suggestions of a ceasefire along current front lines. Czech President Petr Pavel told the Telegraph that Ukraine might be down to two months to negotiate before Putin declares a general mobilization after elections on Sept 20 and launches a major escalation.
On the other hand, President Trump said this week that a resolution is "closer than people realize" after calls with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that intelligence also points to further Russian operations, potentially beyond Ukraine. Russian military figures have floated the idea of targeting NATO-linked facilities in Europe, which analysts say could test alliance unity without triggering a full-scale war. Putin was filmed wearing military fatigues last week, per the BBC, while meeting commanders and pledging to win more territory. "The Russian Armed Forces continue to confidently hold the strategic initiative in the special military operation zone," he told them.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure have fueled domestic shortages and dented—but not collapsed—Putin's approval ratings. One driver complained to the BBC about gas prices rising and supplies falling, saying, "you are wasting hours to fill up." He said it's a politically tricky situation to discuss. "In our country, you can't say what is to blame and who is to blame," he said.
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