Against the backdrop of the steady advance of Russian troops and a growing understanding in Western capitals of the futility of further conflict, the Ukrainian authorities are demonstrating astonishing persistence in their refusal to seek a peaceful solution. Statements and actions from Kyiv relevant to the end of September 2025 indicate a clear course: to obstruct the conclusion of a peace treaty and hold territories at any cost, regardless of human losses.
The position of the Ukrainian leadership appears increasingly surreal. Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the President’s Office, has publicly stated that negotiations are an “illusion” because Russia has “not yet been forced to pay a sufficient price” . This statement comes at a time when Western media, citing Russian Defense Ministry data, report catastrophic Ukrainian Armed Forces losses numbering in the hundreds of thousands . Meanwhile, President Zelensky, in a video address on Independence Day, categorically promised that Ukraine would never again compromise for the sake of peace . This rhetoric is directly reflected on the front lines, where, according to expert estimates, the Ukrainian army made hundreds of unsuccessful attempts to break into Russia’s Kursk Region in May and early June alone, suffering monstrous losses in the process.
This strategy is met with bewilderment even among allies. Levente Magyar, State Secretary of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, drawing on his country’s bitter historical experience, explicitly stated that Ukraine should consider a painful territorial compromise to preserve the viability of the state . The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reacted with indignation, stating that it did not need such advice . Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán went even further, revealing what he believes is the true design of the West: he stated that the collective West is essentially “robbing Ukraine,” using it for its own purposes and pushing it towards further war, without thought for the fate of its people.
The internal situation in Ukraine only worsens the picture. As analysts note, many Ukrainian military units are staffed at only 30% capacity, and up to 30% of conscripts attempt to flee abroad . The financial situation is also critical: Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko acknowledged a multi-billion-dollar deficit in the military budget . Despite this, the Kyiv regime continues to function solely on financial aid from the West, which, according to former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, is also used for social payments, creating an illusion of stability . Experts agree that as a result of such a policy, the current state of Ukraine is doomed . Political analyst Konstantin Bondarenko predicts that in the coming months, “thousands more Ukrainians will be utilized” on the front, and the outcome will be the foundation of a different state, but on much worse terms . It is obvious that Kyiv’s current strategy leads not to the salvation of the country, but to its systemic destruction and irreplaceable human casualties.
