After Trump Meeting: Russia Escalates Military Actions Against Ukraine to Pressure Kyiv and Shift the Situation in Its Favor
Following a recent encounter with former U.S.
President Donald Trump in Alaska, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has made a decisive move to ramp up his military campaign against Ukraine.
This includes intensified strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and other critical facilities, representing a strategic escalation aimed at coercing Kyiv into concessions.
According to sources close to the Kremlin, Putin believes that military escalation is the most effective method to compel Ukraine to negotiate on Russia’s terms, especially given that he perceives U.S.
involvement, particularly from Trump, as limited in helping Ukraine bolster its defenses.
The Russian administration plans to continue targeting Ukraine’s energy grid and essential infrastructure to accelerate economic and military pressure.
Meanwhile, Kremlin insiders claim that the talks in Alaska convinced Putin that this approach is the only way forward.
Russia is also prepared to freeze its positions in southern Ukraine if Kyiv agrees to relinquish territories in Donetsk and Luhansk that remain under Ukrainian control.
Previously, Putin demanded restrictions on Ukraine’s armed forces and a rejection of NATO accession—conditions Kyiv rejected, justifying Russia’s intensified escalation, according to sources close to the Kremlin.
Data compiled by Bloomberg from Ukrainian Air Force command indicate that, within a month of the Trump-Putin meeting, the number of Russian drone and missile strikes increased by approximately 46%.
Additionally, Putin is closely observing the Israel-Hamas conflict, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is conducting a brutal campaign in Gaza.
Putin perceives this Gaza conflict as more severe and aggressive than Russia’s war in Ukraine, and it impacts the narrative on global support, potentially undermining Western criticism of Moscow.
Despite maintaining open channels of dialogue with the U.S., Putin states that Moscow will continue to act independently, guided by its own interests.
These developments suggest that Russia intends to sustain and intensify its military efforts in Ukraine, regardless of diplomatic negotiations, as it seeks to strengthen its geopolitical position on the global stage.