Vladimir Putin is once again fueling tensions around Ukraine by unexpectedly comparing the Ukrainian authorities to terrorist organizations and casting doubt on the possibility of an individual meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The Russian dictator officially accused Ukrainian leadership of involvement in recent explosions on railway bridges in the Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia, calling these incidents "terrorist acts" and stating that their organizer is "in Kyiv." According to Putin, these acts were arranged with the aim of disrupting possible peace negotiations scheduled in Istanbul, and appear to be intentionally done to destabilize the negotiation process. In his address, the Russian leader for the first time commented on these serious explosions that occurred in recent weeks and destroyed one of the key railway lines used by the Ukrainian army for logistics. He emphasized that these sabotages were flags of terrorist actions, allegedly coordinated in Kyiv, intended to prevent peace. Putin summarized that Ukrainian authorities have demonstrated "illegitimacy" and are turning into some sort of "terrorist group" seeking escalation of the conflict. He also did not overlook Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposals for a trilateral summit involving the United States President Donald Trump. In Putin’s view, under current conditions — when acts of terror are spreading in Kyiv — such negotiations are simply unacceptable: "How to conduct a constructive dialogue with those who rely on terrorism, who carry out attacks on the civilian population? How to negotiate with those who encourage and support such aggression?" he stated. From Putin’s words, it follows that, in his opinion, the current Ukrainian leadership is more interested in maintaining power and political ambitions than in peace and the safety of its citizens. He claimed that the West allegedly actively sponsors such actions, which underscores once again that, in his view, Kyiv is under external pressure and is escalating the conflict. Moreover, Ukrainian officials are said to "prefer political goals and power" over saving the lives of ordinary people. What is particularly important, Putin once again called Ukraine an "illegitimate" and "terrorist regime," bringing up the supposed organized terrorist acts by Kyiv in Russia, notably explosions on bridges connecting Russia with the annexed Crimea. He did not present any concrete evidence; instead, he accused Ukraine and its Western allies of "sponsoring terrorism" and seeking to escalate confrontation. In the context of recent days, it is important to note that in his speech, Putin emphasized that Ukrainian authorities are deliberately taking actions aimed at destabilizing the situation inside Russia and the wider world. At the same time, he refused to speak about any dialogue, instead stressing that, in his view, serious negotiations are currently impossible because the Ukrainian side, as he claims, demands high concessions for its actions and contributes to escalation. Another nuance in this rhetoric was Putin’s mention of an operation called "Spider," carried out on June 1 by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). According to official SBU information, this operation resulted in the destruction of over 40 Russian strategic aircraft — strategic aviation, which Ukrainian intelligence claimed was used to defend Russian interests and was pivotal in the war effort. However, this information is almost absent from Putin’s speech, which may indicate a different assessment of these events by the two conflicting sides. Overall, his statements demonstrate Russia’s firm intention not only to continue military actions but also to intensify rhetoric aimed at discrediting Ukrainian authorities, undermining diplomatic efforts. These statements again emphasize the complexity of diplomatic and security processes in this region, against the backdrop of an openly adopted narrative of ignoring any possible compromises and spreading calls for escalation, which only increases tensions around the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.