Putin demands territorial concessions from Ukraine during negotiations in Miami.

According to ТСН: Recent news about Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the front and statements about the capture of Pokrovsk seem aimed at significantly influencing the negotiations in Miami. Putin is trying to break the new strategy of US President Donald Trump, which emphasizes active diplomacy, demanding urgent concessions against a backdrop of unrealistic successes.

Political scientist Vadim Denisenko noted that Russian media has declared the 'capture' of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk for a second time, which, in his opinion, is blatant falsifications. According to information, Putin likely traveled closer to the front to reinforce these statements.

'Both the first and the second are lies. But this lie is needed by Putin for negotiations (imitation of negotiations),'

— emphasized Denisenko.

In his opinion, negotiations in Miami seem unpromising, as their outcome mainly lies in attempts to find a formula for Ukraine to abandon NATO membership.

'I won’t reveal America if I say that our non-membership in NATO has been clear to everyone. These are correct and necessary concessions, but they will not affect the acceleration of the negotiation process in any way,'

— noted the political scientist.

Denisenko also pointed out that territorial issues remain key concerns for the US in negotiations. Trump believes that first, Ukraine must be forced to withdraw from Donbas, and then pressure Putin to sign a peace agreement.

'The current round of negotiations seems to be a game by the Americans in that they are willing to 'probe' the readiness of the Russians and not pressuring Ukraine for now. The logic appears to be: Witkoff goes to the RF and says: Ukraine is not joining NATO according to a certain formula. And we await a response from the Russians. If the Kremlin does not take a tough stance, Washington will hold another round of negotiations with us on a different issue. And so on,'

— he added.

In his opinion, Trump has changed the strategy from 'blitzkrieg' to a strategy of continuous intensive diplomacy. This change may have been triggered by the appearance of US President's son-in-law Jared Kushner in the negotiation group. In the coming days, it will become clear whether this new strategy works. The expert predicts that the Russians might try to break it, and Trump could revert to the idea of 'blitzkrieg' at any moment.

Why does Putin need another 'capture' of Pokrovsk?

'Another 'capture' of Pokrovsk is necessary for Putin to break this situation. He needs to prove to Witkoff today that he has achieved significant successes at the front and demands urgent territorial solutions, even though it is clear that Ukraine will not agree to this now. He has been briefed again about mythical encirclements, and this 'trump card' will be used again.'

The situation may depend on several other factors

The situation can also be influenced by a few external factors:

• the onset of escalation in Venezuela. It is currently unclear which game the US will intervene in;

• the December visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to China, which may affect the situation in Ukraine. Denisenko considers it important to bring forward Macron's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before this visit;

• pressure on Russia through a partial decrease in oil purchases from India and Turkey.

Is it possible to end the war by the new year?

Denisenko claims that 'ending the war by the new year is becoming unlikely,' as this requires simultaneously forcing Ukraine to accept new conditions and making Putin stop. And this currently seems unrealistic.

He also emphasized that the previous 'blitzkrieg' by the US achieved its goal: Zelensky is in a suspended state due to a political crisis and uncertain funding for 2026. Thus, our position is quite precarious.

According to data from the Institute for the Study of War, Russian troops in Pokrovsk are engaged in urban battles, contrary to the Kremlin's claims of an alleged encirclement. Analysts believe that Russia may have announced the capture of the city in advance as part of cognitive warfare to influence US-Russian negotiations.

Analysts also predict that Putin will reject the conditions of the peace plan regarding Ukraine during the meeting with Witkoff. They are confident that Russia is trying to avoid the image of being 'an obstacle to ending the war.'