Egypt Daily News – Russian President Vladimir Putin remains determined to press ahead with the war in Ukraine despite escalating threats from former U.S. President Donald Trump, according to three sources close to the Kremlin, cited by Reuters.
The sources said Putin is dismissive of Trump’s warnings, including threats of stricter sanctions, and believes the Russian economy and military are resilient enough to endure further Western pressure. They added that the Russian leader is committed to continuing military operations until the West begins to take Russia’s conditions for peace seriously, conditions that may expand to include sovereignty over all territories currently under Russian control.
“Putin is convinced that no one is negotiating seriously with him about the details of peace in Ukraine, including the Americans,” said one source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. “So he will continue fighting until he gets what he wants.”
Trump recently voiced frustration over Putin’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire and announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine, including Patriot surface-to-air missile systems. He also warned of additional sanctions unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days. Despite these moves, Kremlin insiders believe Putin sees little incentive to back down.
The sources, described by Reuters as familiar with the thinking of senior Russian officials, said Putin feels that Russia has withstood the harshest rounds of Western sanctions and is capable of enduring further economic hardship, including potential U.S. tariffs aimed at punishing countries like China and India that purchase Russian oil.
While Putin reportedly values his relationship with Trump and has held constructive discussions with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, the sources noted that “Russia’s interests come first.”
Putin’s reported conditions for peace include a legally binding guarantee that NATO will not expand eastward, the permanent neutrality of Ukraine, limits on Ukraine’s armed forces, and protections for Russian-speaking communities. These would be accompanied by formal recognition of Russian sovereignty over territories it has annexed.
Additionally, the Kremlin is said to be open to discussing international security guarantees for Ukraine, though the details of such arrangements remain unclear.
According to two of the sources, Putin sees Russia’s war-driven economy as outperforming NATO’s in terms of producing key munitions, such as artillery shells. Recent data from Deep State Map, an open-source conflict tracker, shows that Russian forces have gained around 1,415 square kilometers of territory over the past three months and now control nearly one-fifth of Ukraine.
One source described the Kremlin’s mindset as “the appetite grows with the eating,” suggesting that unless Ukraine offers stiff resistance, Putin may seek to capture even more territory. The other two sources confirmed this outlook.
Currently, Russia holds Crimea, annexed in 2014, the entirety of Luhansk, and over 70 percent of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, as well as portions of Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Putin has stated publicly that Crimea and the four eastern regions are now part of Russia and must be recognized as such before any peace agreement can be reached.
One source noted that if Ukrainian defenses begin to collapse, Putin could expand his military goals further. “Russia will act according to Ukraine’s weakness,” the source said, adding that the offensive might stop after consolidating control over the four main eastern regions if strong resistance is encountered. “But if those areas fall, expect a larger push into Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Kharkiv.”
