Russia still wants to fight, even as peace talks happen in Paris.
On the 1,128th day of a war that has reshaped European security, leaders gathered in Paris to imagine a peace that does not yet exist. Emmanuel Macron offered a sober verdict: Russia's rejection of an unconditional ceasefire and its accumulation of new demands reveal a nation that has not yet chosen to stop fighting. The distance between diplomacy and reality remains vast — measured not only in negotiating positions, but in drone strikes, prison sentences, and the quiet arithmetic of foreign soldiers dying far from home.
- Russia rejected Ukraine's offer of a 30-day unconditional ceasefire and added new demands, including sanctions relief and restored Swift banking access, exposing the hollowness of its stated interest in peace.
- Overnight, four Ukrainians were killed and six wounded; Kharkiv was struck at least twelve times by drones, wounding nine and setting fires in the city center — the war continuing even as diplomats spoke of its end.
- A 'coalition of the willing' is exploring peacekeeping deployments for a post-ceasefire Ukraine, while France pledged €2 billion in new military aid, signaling that Europe is preparing for both peace and its prolonged absence.
- Russia convicted 23 Ukrainian captives — including cooks and support staff — on terrorism charges carrying sentences of up to 23 years, a move Kyiv called illegal and a sign of how deeply the two sides diverge on law itself.
- North Korea's battlefield losses now approach 4,000 killed or wounded, and 3,000 more troops have arrived in 2025, transforming what began as a bilateral war into something with far wider entanglements.
- A US-Ukraine critical minerals deal appeared close to signing, and Kyiv's chief of staff declared relations with Washington 'back on track' — small navigational fixes on a very uncertain course.
On the 1,128th day of the war, European leaders convened in Paris to sketch the outline of a security architecture for a Ukraine at peace — a peace that, as of Thursday, remained entirely hypothetical. Macron opened with a blunt assessment: Russia still wants to fight. Moscow had turned down Kyiv's offer of a 30-day ceasefire with no preconditions, piling on demands of its own instead. Macron praised Ukraine for having the courage to propose peace at all, and announced France would send €2 billion in additional military aid from existing stockpiles.
The core impasse was plain. Russia said it would halt Black Sea shipping attacks only if Western sanctions were lifted and its access to the Swift banking system restored. The EU replied that sanctions would not move until Russian forces withdrew fully from Ukrainian territory. The US, caught between the two positions, acknowledged the gap without bridging it. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a measured summary: it won't be simple, it'll take time, but at least talks are happening.
The war did not pause for the diplomacy. Russia claimed to be honoring a moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, but drones and missiles continued hitting power plants and causing blackouts. On Wednesday night, four people were killed and six wounded across the country. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, was struck at least twelve times in a mass drone assault that wounded nine, set four fires, and left the mayor cataloguing damage in real time. Dnipro also burned.
The conflict's reach was widening. South Korea reported that North Korea had sent 3,000 more troops to Russia in 2025, adding to the 11,000 deployed the previous year — of whom roughly 4,000 had already been killed or wounded. What began as a war between two neighbors was acquiring the shape of something larger.
Small diplomatic signals flickered. A US-Ukraine critical minerals agreement appeared close to completion, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggesting signatures could come within days. Zelenskyy's chief of staff said the relationship with Washington was recovering after a bruising Oval Office encounter weeks earlier. Two rounds of Saudi-hosted talks had given Ukraine a chance to show it could engage constructively with American officials.
In a darker register, Russia convicted 23 Ukrainian captives — among them fourteen Azov fighters and nine women who had served as cooks and support staff — on terrorism charges carrying sentences of thirteen to twenty-three years. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman called the verdicts illegal, arguing that prisoners of war are combatants, not criminals. The trial was a reminder that the two sides are not merely far apart on a ceasefire — they cannot agree on the most fundamental questions of law, legitimacy, and who has the right to defend what.
On day 1,128 of the war, European leaders gathered in Paris on Thursday to discuss what security might look like after a ceasefire—if one ever materializes. Emmanuel Macron opened the meeting with a stark assessment: Russia, he said, still wants to fight. The French president noted that Moscow had rejected Ukraine's offer of a 30-day ceasefire with no preconditions attached, instead layering on new demands of its own. Kyiv, by contrast, had shown courage in proposing peace at all. The gathering brought together what organizers call a "coalition of the willing"—a British-French initiative exploring whether peacekeeping troops could be deployed to Ukraine once fighting stops. Macron announced France would send another €2 billion in military aid, drawing from existing stockpiles and shipping it quickly.
But the fundamental problem remained unchanged: there is no ceasefire. Russia has made clear it will only agree to halt Black Sea shipping attacks if the West lifts sanctions and restores its access to the Swift banking system. The United States said it would consider the sanctions question. The European Union countered that sanctions would come off only when Russian forces withdrew completely and unconditionally from Ukrainian territory. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, acknowledged the gap between positions. "It won't be simple," he said. "It'll take some time. But at least we're talking."
Meanwhile, the war continued. Russia claimed to be observing a month-long moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure—a declaration Putin had made—yet Russian drones and missiles kept hitting power plants and causing blackouts across the country. Ukraine denied Russian accusations that it had breached any ceasefire by targeting gas storage in Crimea, which is Ukrainian territory anyway. Zelenskyy pointed to the ongoing attacks as proof that Moscow was not serious about peace. On Wednesday night into Thursday, four people were killed and six wounded across Ukraine. The air force shot down 56 of 117 incoming drones; another 48 were decoys that caused no damage. Late Wednesday, a mass drone assault on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, wounded nine people, set four fires in the city center, and struck at least 12 times according to the mayor, Ihor Terekhov. Dnipro, in central Ukraine, also caught fire from drone strikes.
The war's geography was expanding. South Korea's military reported that North Korea had sent 3,000 additional troops to Russia so far this year and continued supplying missiles, artillery, and ammunition. Of the 11,000 North Korean soldiers deployed in 2024, roughly 4,000 had been killed or wounded. The conflict was becoming something larger than a bilateral struggle.
On the diplomatic front, there were small signs of movement. The US and Ukraine had been working on a critical minerals deal—an economic partnership meant to bind their interests together. Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, told Fox News that a completed document was under review by Kyiv and that signatures might come the following week. A week earlier, the White House had said it was moving past that deal to focus on peace. Then Trump reversed course, saying it would be signed "very shortly." Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, said relations with Washington were "back on track" after a tense Oval Office meeting the previous month. Two rounds of talks in Saudi Arabia on a potential ceasefire had given Kyiv a chance to demonstrate it could work constructively with US officials on ending the war.
Russia, meanwhile, convicted 23 captured Ukrainians on terrorism charges in what Kyiv called a sham trial and a violation of international law. The defendants included 14 current or former fighters from the Azov brigade and nine women and one man who had worked as cooks and support staff. Sentences ranged from 13 to 23 years in prison. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, called the verdicts "illegal," insisting that prisoners of war were combatants, not criminals, and that they had been defending their country's territorial integrity and sovereignty. The trial underscored how far apart the two sides remained on even the most basic questions of law and legitimacy.
Notable Quotes
Russia rejected Ukraine's unconditional ceasefire offer and imposed new conditions instead.— Emmanuel Macron
It won't be simple. It'll take some time. But at least we're talking about these things.— Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State
Ukrainian prisoners of war are combatants, not criminals. They were fulfilling their duty to the state.— Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's human rights ombudsman
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Macron keep saying Russia wants war when both sides are supposedly negotiating?
Because Russia's actions don't match its words. It rejected Ukraine's unconditional ceasefire offer and added new demands—sanctions relief, Swift access. That's not the behavior of someone genuinely trying to stop fighting.
But the US secretary of state said they're "on that road." Isn't that progress?
It's talking, yes. But there's no actual ceasefire in place. Russia keeps launching drone attacks on cities, hitting energy infrastructure despite claiming a moratorium. Ukraine denies breaching anything. So you have two sides accusing each other of bad faith while negotiations happen in Paris.
What's the coalition of the willing actually supposed to do?
Deploy peacekeeping troops if a ceasefire holds. But that's a massive if. You'd need both sides to agree to stop fighting first, and right now they can't even agree on what a ceasefire looks like.
North Korea sending 3,000 more troops—does that change the equation?
It suggests Russia isn't preparing for peace. You don't keep importing foreign soldiers and sustaining 4,000 casualties if you're planning to wind down. It signals Moscow expects this to continue.
What about those 23 Ukrainians convicted on terrorism charges?
Russia is treating prisoners of war as criminals. Ukraine says that's illegal under international law. It's a sign of how deep the divide goes—they can't even agree on the basic rules of warfare.
So where does this actually go from here?
Depends on whether either side genuinely wants a deal or is just performing for the cameras. The minerals agreement, the talks in Saudi Arabia—those are breadcrumbs. But as long as Russia keeps attacking and demanding sanctions relief, and Ukraine refuses to give up territory, you're stuck.