Russia Freezes Ukraine Peace Talks as NATO Strengthens Eastern Defences

Russia announced Friday that peace negotiations with Kyiv were on “pause,” while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned that Vladimir Putin’s ambitions to capture the entire country remain unchanged.

The diplomatic deadlock comes as Russia conducted large-scale military exercises with its ally Belarus, even as NATO vowed to reinforce its eastern flank following drone incursions into Polish airspace.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “Our negotiators have the opportunity to communicate through channels. But for now, it is probably more accurate to talk about a pause. You can’t wear rose-tinted glasses and expect that the negotiation process will yield immediate results.”

Speaking at a conference in Kyiv, Zelensky insisted the West should not trust Moscow: “Putin’s goal is to occupy all of Ukraine. And no matter what he tells anyone, it is clear that he has set the war machine in motion to such an extent that he simply cannot stop it unless he is forced to fundamentally change his personal goals.”

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has hosted talks between both leaders but seen little progress, admitted his patience was wearing thin: “It’s sort of running out and running out fast, but it does take two to tango. When Putin wants to do it, Zelensky didn’t. When Zelensky wanted to do it, Putin didn’t. Now Zelensky wants to and Putin is a question mark. We’re going to have to come down very, very strong.”

Ukraine has ruled out ceding territory in exchange for a deal and is pushing for a Putin–Zelensky summit. Putin, however, has dismissed the idea and threatened to strike any Western peacekeepers deployed without his approval.

Meanwhile, tensions spiked in Europe after Poland said 19 Russian drones had crossed into its airspace on Wednesday, with three shot down by NATO fighter jets. Warsaw and about 40 allies condemned the violation as a “destabilizing escalation.”

NATO chief Mark Rutte pledged additional forces from Denmark, France, Britain and Germany to strengthen the alliance’s eastern front. Britain also imposed new sanctions on Russia’s weapons and shipping networks, while the EU extended sanctions on more than 2,500 Russian individuals and entities.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk dismissed suggestions the drone crossings were accidental, warning: “Poland is closer to open conflict than at any time since World War II.”

Russia has denied responsibility for the drone incident and accused Poland of failing to provide evidence.

The joint Russian-Belarusian military drills — involving tanks, helicopters, and naval units near the Polish and Lithuanian borders as well as in the Baltic and Barents seas — have further heightened regional tensions. Poland said it would deploy 40,000 troops to its border with Belarus for the duration of the exercises.