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Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Map Shows Russia's Plan to Seize Half of Ukraine
Russia said it forces are pushing into a new Ukrainian regions that it has not occupied before. It comes days after a Kyiv official warned Moscow wants to seize half of Ukraine by the end of next year, as a map by Newsweek illustrates these claims. Russia's defense ministry and Kremlin officials said Monday their troops had penetrated the border between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, which follow unconfirmed reports that Russian forces had also entered the Sumy region. Last week, Ukrainian Presidential Office Deputy Head Colonel Pavlo Palisa had presented a map he said showed Russia's aims to capture the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by September 1 and the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions by the end of 2026. Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries for comment. In September 2022, Vladimir Putin claimed Russia had annexed the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia which Moscow does not fully control. The map Palisa showed reporters shows what Kyiv has framed as what could happen in the next 18 months if Putin is not stopped. That map combined with Moscow's current messaging about its latest operation point to the Kremlin's wider territorial ambitions in Ukraine which go further than the demands for negotiations which President Donald Trump is trying to broker. The Russian MoD said its 90th Tank Division had reached the western border of Donetsk Oblast and were developing an offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast which if confirmed, marks a move into a new region Moscow had not declared as annexed. Former president Dmitry Medvedev referred to the operation as part of the "new realities on the ground" a phrase used by Kremlin officials describing the frontline implying what Ukraine must concede as part of negotiations to end the war. Russian military bloggers said Moscow's troops had reached the Donetsk-Dnipropetrovsk Oblast border, northwest of Horikhove, but the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said as of Monday it had not observed geolocated evidence of these claims. Videos circulating online on Monday claimed to show Russian troops crossing into the Dnipropetrovsk oblast. Meanwhile, Russian forces also continued offensive operations in Sumy Oblast, another region which was not among those Moscow claims to occupy. Russian milbloggers said that Russian forces had made advances north of Sumy City but these claims have also not been confirmed, the ISW said. Further Russian operations point to Putin's expansionist plans which Palisa last week outlined to reporters. Palisa from Ukraine's presidential office said last week Russia intends to capture all of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by September 1 and create a buffer zone along the northern border between Ukraine and Russia by the end of 2025. Palisa added that Russia wants to occupy the east (left) bank of the Dnieper River and capture the regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv by the end of next year in a move which would deprive Ukraine of access to the Black Sea. The ISW published a version of the map Palisa presented, which showed plans to seize roughly 85,000 additional square miles of territory and hold 129,000 square miles by the end of 2026—over half the total area of Ukraine. Ukrainian Presidential Office Deputy Head Colonel Pavlo Palisa said that Russia wants "to occupy the whole part of Ukraine on the left bank of the Dnieper River," as well as seize "the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions to cut Ukraine's access to the Black Sea." Elina Beketova, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), told Newsweek: "At this point, Ukrainians know that if they don't take action —if they hesitate or do nothing—Russia will simply advance. The fear isn't just about escalation; it's about survival." Analysts have predicted that Moscow will look to intensify its offensives to build pressure during peace negotiations, but will be unable to sustain this pressure indefinitely and could struggle to keep up the pace into 2026. Jack Watling, an analyst with the RUSI think tank, wrote in May that Russia might test Ukrainian defenses in Sumy and Zaporizhzhia but Moscow's main effort this summer will again be against the Donetsk towns of Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk. Related Articles Russia Setting Up to 'Test' NATO in Baltics: German IntelligenceRussia Won't End Ukraine War Until NATO 'Pulls Out' of Baltics: MoscowUkraine's F-16 Took Down Russian Fighter Jet in 'Historic First': ReportPutin's War Machine Dealt a Double Blow by Kyiv 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Map Reveals 'Russia's Plans' That Would Cross Trump's Red Line
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Russia plans to seize half of Ukraine by the end of next year, according to Kyiv, which has released a map outlining purported territorial expansion plans that could put Moscow on a collision course with President Donald Trump's repeated calls for peace talks. Ukrainian Presidential Office Deputy Head Colonel Pavlo Palisa made the claims, and they were followed by Trump warning that he would use further sanctions against Moscow if the war dragged on. Newsweek has contacted the White House and the Kremlin for comment. File photo: Donald Trump shakes hands with Vladimir Putin (right) in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. File photo: Donald Trump shakes hands with Vladimir Putin (right) in Helsinki on July 16, It Matters The map presented by Kyiv shows territorial intentions far beyond the formal demands Moscow has made before it would agree to a ceasefire. But Trump has warned of further sanctions on Russia if it drags out peace negotiations. A bipartisan sanctions bill in the U.S. seeks to impose a 500-percent levy on imports from countries that buy Russian oil and raw materials. What To Know Palisa told reporters Thursday that Russia intends to capture all of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by September 1 and create a buffer zone along the northern Ukrainian-Russian border by the end of this year. Palisa also said Moscow intended to occupy all of Ukraine on the east (left) bank of the Dnieper River and capture the regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv by the end of 2026, which would deprive Ukraine of access to the Black Sea. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) published a map Palisa had presented. It pointed to Moscow's plans to seize roughly 85,000 additional square miles of Ukrainian territory and hold a total of 129,000 square miles by the end of 2026, over half the total area of Ukraine. Yuriy Boyechko, founder of Hope for Ukraine, which helps those living on the front line, told Newsweek that Moscow will not stop its current offensive until December and warned that it will occupy new regions of Ukraine by the end of 2025. However, the Washington, D.C., think tank ISW said Friday that Russian forces are highly unlikely to be able to make the advances Palisa suggested in this time frame, given the current pace of Moscow's advances, and if Ukraine continues to receive Western aid. The ISW said that Palisa's map suggests Moscow will try to seize and leverage positions in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions to push on and capture all of Donetsk and Luhansk. This graphic from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) shows what Ukraine said on June 5 2025 are Russia's territorial expansion plans. This graphic from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) shows what Ukraine said on June 5 2025 are Russia's territorial expansion plans. Institute for the Study of War Russian forces would also purportedly try to seize Kherson Oblast and create a "buffer zone" along the border in northern Ukraine by the end of this year. But neither of these scenarios is likely in this period, the ISW said. In Donetsk, Russia had only advanced around 30 miles from the outskirts of Avdiivka in the last 15 months. Moscow would struggle to capture the rest of Kherson region, which required crossing the Dnieper River, the ISW added. But Russia's plans as described by Palisa far exceed Moscow's formal territorial demands it has made as terms to any ceasefire or long-term peace deal, which Trump has pushed for. U.S. Bipartisan Sanctions Bill The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is trying to get Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to soften the "bone crushing" sanctions bill against Russia he introduced along with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. However, Trump administration officials have called on Graham to water down the legislation, congressional aides told the WSJ by inserting waivers allowing Trump to choose which entities get sanctioned and changing the word "shall" to "may." Republican Senator Roger Wicker said on Wednesday said that Trump had asked the Senate to postpone voting on the bill, which, if implemented, would impose measures that include: a 500 percent tariff on imports from any country that buys Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products. the prohibition of any investments by U.S. financial institutions that benefit the Russian government. the prohibition on listing or trading of Russian entities on United States securities exchanges. sanctions on financial institutions linked to the Russian Government, such as the Russian Central Bank, and Russian banks. sanctions on Russian officials, including Putin, his cabinet ministers and military chiefs. Boyechko, from Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek that tough U.S. sanctions were essential to maintaining American credibility, especially after what he described as a "complete disaster" for U.S. diplomacy in the past four months in which Putin ignored Trump's 30-day ceasefire proposal. "Putin used the four months of empty peace talks to regroup, and now the Russians have begun their summer offensive campaign, taking over 100 square kilometers [38 square miles] of new territory, including some villages in the Sumy region," Boyechko added. What People Are Saying Ukrainian Presidential Office Deputy Head Colonel Pavlo Palisa said Thursday: Russia's "plan for next year is to occupy the whole part of Ukraine which is situated on the left bank of the Dnieper River," and "occupy the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions to cut Ukraine's access to the Black Sea." President Donald Trump said about U.S. sanctions: "If I think Russia will not be making a deal or stopping the bloodshed … I'll use it if it's necessary." He added: "I'm OK with it. I haven't decided to use it. It's a very strong bill." Yuriy Boyechko, founder of Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek: "Russians will not stop their offensive until November or December, so, unless the U.S. and Western allies get serious by applying severe sanctions and getting more weapons to Ukraine, we are looking at new regions of Ukraine occupied by Russians by the end of 2025." What Happens Next Regardless of the battlefield predictions made by Kyiv, all eyes will be on what Trump does regarding the U.S. bipartisan bill against Russia; Graham said it has the backing of 72 senators and sufficient support in the House of Representatives. .
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia plans to occupy Ukraine east of Dnipro, cut Black Sea access, Ukrainian official says
Russia aims to occupy all Ukrainian territory east of the Dnipro River and advance toward Odesa and Mykolaiv in a broader plan to sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea, President Volodymyr Zelensky's Deputy Chief of Staff Pavlo Palisa said, Politico reported on June 6. The remarks come amid continuing Russian offensives in eastern and northern Ukraine, along with escalating diplomatic efforts that have yet to yield a ceasefire. According to Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), Moscow hopes to seize the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by this fall and establish a buffer zone along Ukraine's northern border with Russia. The second phase of the plan envisions more ambitious territorial gains, including an advance into southern Ukraine aimed at cutting the country off from the sea. "Unfortunately, they are not speaking about peace. They are preparing for war," Palisa said during a press briefing at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. The warning comes days after Russia presented Ukraine with a so-called "peace memorandum" during a second round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2. The document, published by Russian state media outlet TASS, demands that Kyiv recognize Russia's claimed annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts — Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk — and fully withdraw from them. Moscow also calls for Ukraine's demobilization and a formal ban on NATO membership. During the talks, Ukraine's delegation submitted a separate proposal calling for an all-for-all prisoner exchange, the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and the release of civilians held in Russian captivity. Kyiv also reiterated its call for a Western-backed 30-day ceasefire as a foundation for future negotiations — a proposal Moscow again rejected. Ukraine's military leadership has warned that Russian forces are preparing for a major summer offensive in Donetsk Oblast, where daily assaults have continued since 2022. Despite suffering heavy losses, Russian troops are advancing through mass wave attacks that gain only tens of meters per day. According to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Moscow currently occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes Russian missile base in Bryansk Oblast, damages Iskander launchers; Trump dismisses timeline to impose Russian sanctions We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Politico
5 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Ukraine reveals Russia's larger war strategy
With help from Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Eric A delegation of senior Ukrainian officials in Washington offered a stark message this week about the Kremlin's ambitions: Even as President DONALD TRUMP works to coax Moscow into peace talks, Russia has expansive plans to further occupy swathes of territory that could cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea. Ukrainian military intelligence, shared with reporters Wednesday evening, indicates that Moscow is seeking to expand its footprint in eastern Ukraine. This includes seizing all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the fall before creating a buffer zone along the northern border with Russia by the end of the year, said COLONEL PAVLO PALISA, deputy head of the office of the Ukrainian president VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY. Moscow's plans for the following year are even more ambitious. Palisa told reporters gathered at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington that Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN seeks to occupy the entirety of Ukraine east of the Dnipro River, which bisects the country. Russia also hopes to seize the southern Ukrainian regions of Odessa and Mykolaiv, he said, which would cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea — a vital conduit for exports of Ukrainian grain. 'Unfortunately, they are not speaking about peace. They are preparing for war,' said Palisa, who briefed a bipartisan group of senators on Wednesday as part of a delegation led by Zelenskyy's chief of staff ANDRIY YERMAK. It's unclear whether Russia can achieve these goals. Moscow is advancing slowly on the battlefield but has struggled to make the kind of large territorial gains seen early in the war. Military analysts predict that Russia will increase the tempo of its operations in a summer offensive to increase pressure on Ukraine, but note that Moscow could struggle to keep up the pace into 2026. Russia shows no intention of wrapping up the war any time soon. Western officials have repeatedly stated that they have seen nothing in their intelligence to suggest that Putin has climbed down from his two main goals in the conflict: to permanently anchor Ukraine to Russia and strike a grand bargain with the West that would renegotiate the post-Cold War security architecture in Europe. This is what Russian officials mean when they talk about solving the 'root causes' of the conflict. 'The Russians want a deal. But they don't see the deal as primarily between them and the Ukrainians,' said GEORGE BEEBE, former director of the CIA's Russia analysis. 'They think this is a long-running geopolitical tug of war between Moscow and Washington,' he said at a briefing organized by the Center for the National Interest. Russia laid out its lofty terms to end the war in a memo presented Monday during negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. It included demands for the international recognition of its annexation of the Crimean peninsula as well as four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by Moscow. It called for Ukraine to permanently abandon its ambitions of joining NATO, and for a limit on the size of the country's armed forces — something that officials in Kyiv have indicated is a red line. 'I'm not sure Washington quite grasps the kind of deal that the Russians are looking for,' Beebe said. The Inbox MERZ MEETS TRUMP: German Chancellor FRIEDRICH MERZ made his way into the Oval Office today to meet with Trump and lived to tell the tale, our own Eli Stokols reports. Despite some pre-meeting sniping from Trump allies such as RICHARD GRENELL, which seemed to presage potential tensions, Trump kept the meeting largely cordial. Barbs issued in the meeting were directed at former Chancellor ANGELA MERKEL, whom Merz also dislikes, and the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, which Merz has opposed. the meeting was soon overshadowed by Trump's comments about former adviser and tech mogul ELON MUSK. In the Oval Office, Trump said he 'had a great relationship' with Musk but now isn't sure where the two men stand. The two, hours later, launched a social media tirade against each other. It wasn't entirely a surprise. Merz was invited to stay at Blair House, an honor not extended to other world leaders. But the close attention to the meeting, stemming from Merz's past tough comments towards the U.S., highlights how Trump has used Oval Office sprays with reporters as a cudgel against leaders with whom he has disputes. Related: Trump 101: Inside world leaders' playbook for surviving the Oval Office meeting by Eli, and our own Robbie Gramer and Nick Taylor-Vaisey XI AND TRUMP SPEAK: After not speaking for months, Trump finally got a phone call with Chinese leader XI JINPING, our colleague Megan Messerly and team reports. The two hadn't spoken since Trump's inauguration and the president described it as a 'very good phone call.' Xi, according to Trump, invited the president to visit China. U.S. and Chinese leaders will also meet soon, with Washington represented by Treasury Secretary SCOTT BESSENT, Commerce Secretary HOWARD LUTNICK and Trade Representative JAMIESON GREER. Trump made it seem like the call was exclusively about trade in his post on Truth Social. But the Chinese side was quick to note that Trump requested the call and said that Xi was the one to recommend a course correction in U.S.-China relations, noting that Taiwan was discussed. Read: The 'Fundamental Mistake' in Trump's Trade War With China by our own Phelim Kine MORGAN ORTAGUS OUT: MORGAN ORTAGUS, deputy special envoy to STEVE WITKOFF, will be leaving her role in his office and is expected to get a job elsewhere in the administration, according to three people familiar with the matter. While in the office, she primarily focused on Lebanon and received praise from Republican senators for her work on the file. Her departure comes after she and Witkoff clashed as she sought to broaden her portfolio, the people said. While her next role is still being decided, one possibility is that she could be a deputy ambassador to the United Nations. Jewish Insider was first to report on the move. Ortagus declined to comment. The State Department earlier this week declined to comment on personnel moves in Witkoff's office. IT'S THURSDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at ebazail@ and follow Eric on X @ebazaileimil. While you're at it, follow the rest of POLITICO's global security team on X and Bluesky at: @dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt, @jessicameyers, @RosiePerper, @ @PhelimKine, @ak_mack, @felschwartz, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @JackDetsch, @samuelskove, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130 and @delizanickel Keystrokes A LOOMING SPECTRUM DEAL: A top GOP senator is insisting that lawmakers will smooth over final details hanging over a bill to open up access to spectrum for commercial usage. Senate Commerce Chair TED CRUZ of Texas told our colleagues at Morning Tech (for Pros!) that he's 'confident' a deal will get done that opens up spectrum access without compromising important military and intelligence frequencies. Some of the details of ongoing negotiations are already being shared publicly. Sen. MIKE ROUNDS (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, told our colleagues Wednesday that a new agreement in the works would protect those key spectrum bands from auctions through 2034. 'It's looking better than it has in the past, and I think we're going to be able to get everything that we had concerns with,' he said, cautioning that the deal was still pending. But the deal's fate has not yet been sealed. Cable and tech companies worry the GOP's spectrum plan could disrupt a key band of 3.5 GHz spectrum they operate some services in, and they may be ready to fight over the GOP plan. The Complex SCHIFF'S MILK MANEUVER: Sen. ADAM SCHIFF (D-Calif.) took to the Senate floor today to push a resolution urging the Defense Department to reverse course on its decision to rename ships commemorating civil rights advocates. Schiff specifically called out Defense Secretary PETE HEGSETH's decision to rename a ship honoring gay rights advocate and veteran HARVEY MILK and to issue that decision during Pride Month. Schiff also connected the decision to other moves from Hegseth to downplay diversity and inclusion within the U.S. military. 'You can draw a straight line between the Department of Defense and this administration removing JACKIE ROBINSON from its official site and terminating the first woman to lead the military services and a well-respected African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all without cause,' Schiff said. 'I don't understand how these removals promote the 'warrior ethos.'' Schiff pushed for unanimous consent on his resolution, which affirms support for the titles of the other John Lewis Class vessels named after American civil rights leaders. But Sen. TED BUDD (R-N.C.) objected, saying that the Biden administration betrayed Naval tradition by not consulting the 'plank owners' — the officers part of a vessel's original crew — about what they wanted to memorialize in naming the John Lewis Class of vessels. On the Hill FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — WITKOFF BRIEFS THE GOP: Trump's special envoy STEVE WITKOFF briefed a group of Republican senators focused on national security about the status of U.S. diplomacy with Iran on Thursday morning, according to three people familiar with the meeting. The session, organized by Sen. JOHN BARRASSO (R-Wyo.), came after Trump on Wednesday said Tehran is 'slow-walking its decision' on whether to accept American proposals that would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. 'We will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!' Barasso's office confirmed the meeting and said it was off the record. Last month, every GOP senator except for RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) sent Trump a letter urging him to make sure any deal ensures Iran permanently gives up any enrichment capacity. The U.S. has proposed allowing Tehran to enrich uranium for a limited period until the U.S. and allies can create a regional consortium for Iran and its neighbors that will provide civilian nuclear programs with needed fissile material. FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — SUPPORTING SUDAN ACCOUNTABILITY: A coalition of advocacy groups is backing a bill from Sens. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.) and CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-M.D.) to disapprove of arms sales to the United Arab Emirates over Abu Dhabi's support for the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. In an open letter to senators, organizations including Amnesty International, the Arms Control Association, Foreign Policy for America and the Center for Civilians in Conflict are urging lawmakers to back Murphy and Van Hollen's resolution. The groups argue that 'Civilians in Sudan have endured unimaginable suffering in a war marked by extensive abuses, which have been fueled by flows of weapons into the country.' They add that 'the United States should use its leverage to stem the flow of arms to the devastating conflict in Sudan.' The bill faces an unclear future in the Senate, as Republicans are unlikely to vote to block arms sales to a U.S. ally the Trump administration has boosted cooperation with in recent months. Broadsides RWANDA RESPONDS TO M23 REPORTS: Rwanda is reiterating it has no ties to Congo-based M23, as human rights groups call attention to reports of the militant group's slaughter of civilians in eastern Congo. A Rwandan official, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of their government, acknowledged to Diya that 'we are sympathetic to their cause.' But the Rwandan official insisted that 'there's no direct communication Rwanda has with M23.' The official also blamed Kinshasa for the turmoil, arguing that 'people in eastern Congo are extremely detached from the capital' and called the region 'an empty non-governed area' that has created 'all sorts of havoc for the neighbors.' The Rwandan rebuttal follows a Tuesday report from Human Rights Watch that M23 executed at least 21 Congolese citizens in February. The Trump administration is reportedly close to brokering a peace deal between Rwanda and Congo to end fighting in Congo's eastern provinces. Transitions — Trump's pick to be U.S. Europe Commander, Lt. Gen. ALEXUS GRYNKEWICH, will also be named Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, our own Paul McLeary reports. — U.S. Ambassador to Georgia ROBIN DUNNIGAN, a career member of the Foreign Service, announced her retirement. Dunnigan was previously the deputy assistant secretary of State responsible for Central and Eastern Europe in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. — ROBERT O'BRIEN, who served as Trump's national security adviser during the first Trump administration, is joining Booz Allen Hamilton's board of directors. — KARI HEERMAN will join the Brookings Institution's economic studies program as a senior fellow and director of trade and economic statecraft on Aug. 11. Heerman, who was previously acting chief economist at the State Department, will lead a new effort to expand and coordinate cross-program work already being done at Brookings. What to Read — Nahal Toosi, POLITICO: Stop Asking How To Make Putin Walk Away From Ukraine. It's the Wrong Question. — Eric Rosenbach and Researchers, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs: Critical and Emerging Technologies Index — Gregory Ross, Americas Quarterly: U.S. and China Spar for Influence on the Paraguay-Paraná River System Tomorrow Today — National Institute for Deterrence Studies, 9 a.m: Deterring the New Pacing Threats of Opportunistic and Coordinated Aggression — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 10:30 a.m.: 'Justice on the Ballot? The Impact of Mexico's Judicial Reform on the Rule of Law and Business Environment.' — Hudson Institute, 3 p.m.: The Evolving Indo-Pacific Order Thanks to our editors, Rosie Perper and Ester Wells, who should never be the namesakes of any Navy vessels.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine officer tells US that Russia plots big advances
A Ukrainian military officer told the United States on Wednesday that Russian forces are preparing major advances into next year, including aiming to cut off Black Sea access, as Kyiv pushes for stronger pressure against Moscow. A senior Ukrainian delegation was visiting Washington just as President Donald Trump said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin warned him by telephone of major retaliation over a daring Ukraine drone strike deep into Russia. Colonel Pavlo Palisa, who served on the frontlines until President Volodymyr Zelensky in November named him as deputy head of the president's office, presented what he said were findings from Ukrainian military intelligence. Speaking to reporters after briefing US lawmakers and officials, Palisa said that Russia has set a goal of seizing by the end of September the entirety of Donetsk and Lugansk -- two of the four regions that Russia has claimed to have annexed, and which feature in a Russian proposal that Ukraine terms an ultimatum. By the end of the year, Russia wants to establish a buffer zone along the Ukraine-Russia border, Palisa said. "It's interesting, but they have plans even for 2026. The plan for next year is to occupy the whole part of Ukraine which is situated on the left bank of the Dnipro River," he said. The goal is to "occupy Odessa region and Mykolaiv region, to cut Ukraine's access to the Black Sea," he said. He did not specify the sources of his assertions. The Black Sea is militarily and economically critical for Ukraine and a major route for shipments of grain to the developing world. The vast Dnipro runs through the capital Kyiv and flows to the Black Sea, bisecting Ukraine, whose historical legitimacy has been questioned by Putin. Palisa said the purported intelligence findings on Russia showed "what they think in reality." "Unfortunately, they are not speaking about peace. They are preparing for war," he said. Top Zelensky aide Andriy Yermak, who led the delegation to Washington, encouraged US lawmakers to move forward on a new sanctions bill to "increase the pressure on Russia." "It's necessary to create the right atmosphere that Russia will go to negotiation -- but go not to make a show, but concrete and real negotiation," Yermak said. Yermak met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has repeatedly warned that Trump -- who took office vowing quickly to end the war and who briefly cut off support to Ukraine -- is losing patience with Putin. sct/sla
