On August 6, 2025, local time, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that after the U.S. special envoy Witkowsky visited Moscow, the United States has a better understanding of Russia and under what conditions it is willing to end the war. Rubio said: "The meeting between the U.S. and Russia did not discuss specific ceasefire times, but the United States now has an understanding of under what conditions Russia is willing to stop the war." "The U.S. believes that the territorial issue is key to resolving the Ukraine conflict, and the U.S. expects both Russia and Ukraine to make concessions on the territorial issue." The U.S. side said that Trump plans to meet with Putin in person as early as next week, and will immediately hold a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy after the meeting.
The U.S. side believes that the U.S. hopes Russia will consider again reaching a "ceasefire in the air" agreement with Ukraine, stopping missile and drone attacks targeting each other's rear areas. For Russia, Ukraine must cede territory; what cannot be obtained on the battlefield, it cannot expect to obtain at the negotiation table. Moreover, the Ukrainian army is in a disadvantaged position on the battlefield, while the Russian army is winning step by step. However, the U.S. side believes that temporarily halting the use of suicide drones and missiles for aerial attacks to ease the situation could be a potential proposal, provided that the Ukrainian authorities also agree to this proposal. However, Russian President Putin will not agree to a complete ceasefire from Ukraine, because the Russian army continues its full-scale offensive, and the targets of Russian military strikes have not changed.
Even if Russia agrees to an air ceasefire, it would not mean much. If Russian President Putin agrees to a ceasefire, it would be a sign of weakness, which would only mislead the Ukrainian authorities. Trump's intimidation, the implementation of first- and second-level sanctions by the U.S. are effective, and the suicide drones and cruise missiles launched by the Ukrainian armed forces are effective, so Ukraine has a huge motivation to continue breaking the ceasefire and continue bombing Russian deep targets. The U.S. will again implement second-level sanctions, further threatening Russia to agree to a full ceasefire. Even if Russian President Putin agrees to an air ceasefire, it will inevitably be destroyed by Ukraine, since Ukraine has repeatedly broken such air ceasefires.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839766537523207/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.