The Future Of Ukraine Cannot Be Dictated By Putin

A candle is left on the soil near the mass grave found near a church on April 5, 2022, in Bucha, Ukraine. (Photo credit: Nils Petter Nilsson/Getty Images)

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As President Trump attempts to secure peace for Ukraine, Ukraine continue to be bombed by Russia without end in sight. Indeed, recent weeks have been the deadliest in Russia’s war on Ukraine. This sends a very important message that Western leaders cannot ignore – Russia does not want to end the war and not without getting everything that Putin desires. As President Zelensky commented on the ongoing attacks, “at this very moment, the Russians are attacking Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, the Sumy region, and Odesa, destroying residential buildings and our civilian infrastructure. Russians are deliberately killing people, particularly children. As of now, seven people have been killed as a result of the drone strike in Kharkiv, the youngest being a girl who is only a year and a half old, and dozens have been injured, including children. In Zaporizhzhia, missile strikes injured 20 people and killed three. […] The Russian war machine continues to destroy lives despite everything. Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts.”

The statement from President Zelensky is supported by damning data as collected by several actors. As indicated by the United Nations, with at least 1,674 civilian casualties (286 killed; 1,388 injured), the number of civilian casualties continued to rise in July, setting a new record for monthly overall casualties since May 2022. As the United Nations reported, “In July 2025, 22.5% more civilians were killed or injured than in July 2024. The increase in the number of civilian casualties between June and July 2025 mainly took place in areas controlled by the Government of Ukraine along the frontline, reflecting intensive military efforts by Russian armed forces to capture territory. Aerial bombs dropped by Russian armed forces accounted for the largest increase in civilian casualties with 276 casualties (67 killed; 209 injured) in July 2025 compared with 114 (34 killed; 80 injured) in June 2025.” These numbers speak for themselves. Russia does not reduce the attacks in the pursuit of peace but continues to intensify them.

Such an increase in attacks has been noticeable for months, despite Putin agreeing to engage in a dialogue with President Trump. For example, June saw one of the highest monthly civilian casualties in three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 injured (totaling 1,575). That month, the Russian Federation launched ten times more missile and loitering munitions attacks against Ukraine than in the same month a year earlier. As the United Nations reported: “Virtually no region of Ukraine was spared, regardless of its distance from the frontline. Civilians were killed or injured in at least 16 regions of the country and the city of Kyiv.” Commenting on the developments, Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), emphasized: “Civilians across Ukraine are facing levels of suffering we have not seen in over three years. The surge in long-range missile and drone strikes across the country has brought even more death and destruction to civilians far away from the frontline.” One of these attacks on Kyiv on June 16-17, destroyed a civilian residential building, killed 30 civilians and left a further 172 people injured. This attack was the second-deadliest attack on Kyiv since the full-scale invasion began. Danielle Bell further stressed the devastating impact of the ongoing war on civilians, and especially children: “Children spend many nights not tucked in bed, but sheltering in corridors, basements, and bathrooms, covering their ears from the sounds of sirens and explosions. These experiences bring lasting scars.”

Similarly, August 2025 is marked by intensive Russian attacks on Ukraine with high numbers of civilian casualties. Including, as President Zelensky has been traveling to D.C. to meet President Trump, Russian attacks on major Ukrainian cities killed at least 10 people. Considering all these reports, there is nothing to suggest that Russia is doing anything to de-escelate the conflict and reduce the number of attacks – to show goodwill to negotiate peace.

The pursuit of peace cannot be a one-sided exercise, with Ukraine required to bow to Putin’s demands. The future of Ukraine cannot be dictated by Putin – the very person who started the war and caused unimaginable suffering to the people of Ukraine. The crimes committed by Putin, amounting to the crime of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly even genocide, require comprehensive responses including justice and accountability – and not red carpets, smiles and shaking hands. Peace for Ukraine is urgently needed, and a lasting peace. However, bowing to Putin will not achieve that.