Ukraine Is Increasingly Managing To Strike Deep Inside Russia. Putin Is Reportedly Likely To Escalate

Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to escalate the country’s war against Ukraine, according to a new report.

Reuters detailed that Putin has repeatedly rejected to negotiate a peace with Kyiv recently, with three sources telling the outlet that Ukraine’s increasing achievements in the battlefield have strengthened his resolve to continue the fight.

One of them said there is a “high probability” that the conflict will escalate in the coming months and Putin is seeking to achieve the key goal of capturing all of Ukraine’s Donbas region. The source also told Reuters that Putin rejected suggestions to negotiate a ceasefire along the current front lines.

The report stands in contrast with remarks from President Donald Trump, who said Putin wants to end the war and a positive outcome is “closer than people realize.” He also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said the two discussed “ideas to bring peace closer.”

Trump also said on Wednesday that the U.S. will give Ukraine authorization to develop Patriot missiles in the country as it faces shortages of weapons capable of intercepting Russian missile strikes.

Speaking to press while meeting Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said the U.S. will show Kyiv “how to do it.”

“It’s very complex actually. But it’s — you’ll figure out the complexity quickly,” Trump added. He said the U.S. won’t give more such missiles to Ukraine because it needs the equipment.

However, the process is likely to take a long period and, in the meantime, Russia continues to strike Ukraine with missiles as the country runs low on interceptors. Earlier this week, Ukraine sustained an attack of 23 ballistic missiles, and was not able to intercept any of them.

Zelensky was expected to pledge for more missiles, claiming earlier this week that “as long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings.”

“It is critically important that the world – first and foremost the United States and our European partners – come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense, and thus the protection of ordinary people’s lives,” he added.

Ukraine, in turn, has also stepped up attacks. It has increasingly targeted the country’s energy infrastructure, putting pressure on the country’s fuel supply network.

The most recent attacks took place on July 4 and struck the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and facilities in Russia’s Leningrad region. Previous operations have targeted key energy sites in Yaroslavl, Tuapse, and Krasnodar Krai.

Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on 28 June that fuel shortages had become a concern in some regions, underscoring the impact that repeated attacks are having on one of the country’s most important economic areas.