Russia plans to escalate strikes on Ukraine, Bloomberg reports

Russia is preparing to intensify its attacks on Ukraine after concluding that negotiations for a peace deal have reached a dead end, according to people close to the Kremlin. The Kremlin is weighing a surge in conventional ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, including the center of the capital, and infrastructure targets in other Ukrainian cities, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.bloomberg

The planned escalation follows weeks of increasingly blunt rhetoric from Moscow. On August 22, Putin dismissed Ukraine's peace proposals as "exotic" and "unacceptable," telling Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin that Moscow was "always ready for dialogue on peace, but only on the basis of the realities on the ground."kyivindependent+1

Talks Stalled, Strikes Mounting

U.S.-brokered negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow have failed to advance in recent months, with Russia continuing to demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw entirely from Donbas as a precondition for any agreement. Ukraine has rejected those terms, arguing that a freeze along the current front line is the most realistic basis for a ceasefire.yahoo

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently proposed a plan developed with American and European officials that would establish a buffer zone in Donbas through equal withdrawals by both sides, administered by a third party. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the mechanism, saying "it is unlikely that any third party could administer Russia's regions."tvpworld

The diplomatic impasse has coincided with a sharp increase in missile attacks. On August 20, Russian strikes killed at least 17 people in Kyiv and the surrounding region, according to Reuters, as Zelenskyy warned that a failure by allies to replenish Ukraine's Patriot interceptors was costing lives. Ukraine expects to receive only 264 interceptors this year, compared with 675 in 2023.reuters+1

Europe Responds, Washington Recalibrates

European leaders used Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24 to signal continued support. The European Commission approved €6.1 billion in additional defense procurement for Ukraine, covering air-defense systems, missiles, ammunition, and radars. Germany promised 600 PAC-2 interceptors — though not until 2027 and 2028, leaving the immediate shortage unresolved.tvpworld

American signals have been harder to read. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner postponed their first visit to Kyiv, reportedly because of Russian attacks, while CIA director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow for undisclosed contacts. Pentagon strategist Elbridge Colby is visiting U.S. and NATO commands in Europe this week as part of a broader push to shift primary defense responsibility to European allies.tvpworld

Russia appears to be exploiting its present military advantage before European weapons programs can bolster Ukraine's defenses. Yet polling suggests the bombardment is hardening Ukrainian public opinion against territorial concessions, with 60 percent of respondents in a recent survey rejecting withdrawal from Ukrainian-held Donbas — a figure that rose to 69 percent in heavily bombed Kyiv.tvpworld