Russia Reaffirms War Aims as Talks Resume and Belarus Grows Closer Ties
ISW notes Moscow remains committed to its original war aims and rejects Western security guarantees as talks with Ukraine and the United States resume in Abu Dhabi; Russia is expanding recruitment for its Unmanned Systems Forces and intensifying mobilization tactics while Ukraine names a defense-tech advisor. Fighting continues across Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson fronts with broad drone and missile strikes, and Belarus is pulling its military-industrial base closer to Russia. Western pressure could push concessions, but no durable peace breakthrough is evident.