MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected proposals for a ceasefire that would freeze the front lines in Ukraine, remaining committed to securing full control of the eastern Donbas region despite renewed international efforts to advance peace negotiations, according to people familiar with Kremlin thinking.
Three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin believes Russia should continue military operations rather than halt the conflict before achieving what he regards as a key strategic objective: capturing the remaining Ukrainian-held areas of Donbas. Two of the sources said they expect the risk of further escalation in the coming months to be high, despite diplomatic initiatives led by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The sources said some advisers had suggested considering a ceasefire based on the current line of contact, but Putin rejected the proposal. One source who regularly meets the Russian president said recent Ukrainian long-range drone attacks on Russian energy and transport infrastructure had reinforced, rather than weakened, the Kremlin's determination to continue the campaign.
Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia remained prepared for a political settlement while maintaining that Moscow possessed sufficient military capability to continue what it calls its "special military operation." He did not directly address the reported internal discussions over a ceasefire.
Ukraine has consistently rejected Russian demands that it surrender territory in the Donbas as a condition for ending the war. A senior Ukrainian official, responding to Reuters, said Kyiv's intelligence assessments in recent months indicated Russia was preparing for additional military operations rather than moving toward peace negotiations.
Trump has repeatedly said he believes a negotiated settlement is possible and has spoken separately with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in recent days. According to the Kremlin, Putin told Trump that Russia continued to support a political and diplomatic resolution while insisting that Moscow's security objectives must be achieved. Zelenskiy has said Ukraine remains unwilling to relinquish territory as part of any settlement.
The latest developments come as fighting continues across eastern Ukraine. Russia has recently claimed advances in parts of the Donetsk region, while Ukraine has disputed several battlefield assertions and says its forces continue resisting Russian offensives. Some claims by both sides could not be independently verified.
No ceasefire agreement has been announced, and there has been no official indication from either Moscow or Kyiv that formal peace negotiations are imminent.
