From: TransformUkraine By Douglas Landro / February 28, 2025
Summary of the Day – February 27, 2025
As peace negotiations gather momentum, Russian President Vladimir Putin has staked out maximalist territorial demands while simultaneously pursuing a two-track strategy of diplomatic engagement with the Trump administration. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military has achieved limited tactical successes near Pokrovsk and Toretsk despite continued Russian pressure across multiple fronts. North Korea’s growing involvement in the conflict adds a concerning dimension as Pyongyang gains valuable combat experience while deploying additional troops to Russian-held territory.
Ukrainian volunteers who fled from Russian-occupied territories are making camouflage netting for the Ukrainian military in Dnipro. The nets are crafted in spring colors, as the volunteers do not expect a swift peace agreement with Russia. (Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
Moscow’s Dual Strategy: Rejecting Concessions While Wooing Washington
Putin has drawn his lines in the diplomatic sand with unmistakable clarity. In a February 27 address to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the Russian leader explicitly rejected American negotiating terms while insisting that so-called “Novorossiya”—an imperial-era designation encompassing vast swaths of eastern and southern Ukraine—rightfully belongs to Russia. This maximalist position stands in stark contrast to Trump’s stated requirement that Russia make territorial concessions.
Voice of Ukraine 