Russia is preparing to step up military attacks against Ukraine after coming to the conclusion that peace agreement negotiations have reached a complete dead end, according to three sources close to the Kremlin cited by Bloomberg news agency.
Moscow is currently weighing whether to increase the intensity of powerful ballistic missile strikes against Kyiv, including targets in the center of the Ukrainian capital, as well as infrastructure facilities in other cities across Ukraine.
The Kremlin-linked sources said all negotiating frameworks have effectively collapsed, returning both Russia and Ukraine to their initial starting positions in the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not halt military operations under economic pressure from Western sanctions or Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and logistical networks, the sources stated. Moscow increasingly views Ukrainian military strikes as direct attacks by NATO member states, as alliance members supply Kyiv with weaponry and intelligence.
The sources added that the current phase of fighting does not represent the peak of potential military escalation. Four individuals close to the Kremlin indicated that in the absence of diplomacy, Russian leadership sees few alternatives to further military escalation to achieve its war goals.
Nuclear rhetoric and strategic risks
The escalating exchange of strikes has led a growing number of Russian officials to conclude that Putin could eventually decide to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine as a last resort, according to two of the sources.
Bloomberg reported that there are currently no indications that Russia is preparing to deploy such weapons. Tactical nuclear weapons possess less powerful warheads than strategic armaments and are designed for specific battlefield impact rather than destroying an entire city or country, though an explosion can still cause vast damage and radioactive fallout across wide areas.
Intelligence diplomacy in Moscow
The Bloomberg report followed an unannounced visit to Moscow by John Ratcliffe, the director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. The trip was the first visit by a CIA chief to the Russian capital in five years, taking place against a backdrop of stalled peace negotiations and rising risks of escalation between Russia and the West.
Although Moscow maintains hope that American negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will travel to the Russian capital with new proposals, expectations of a breakthrough remain very low, according to the sources.
Two sources stated that Kremlin officials believe Russia has already made concessions that weakened its overall position. They noted that a previous summit held in Anchorage, Alaska, was viewed in Moscow as another failed compromise.
Restraint requests and international reactions
During Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow, Ukrainian authorities were asked to refrain from launching strikes against the Russian capital, Saint Petersburg, or northern areas along that vector, a source told Ukrainian news site LIGA.net.
Following the visit, US President Donald Trump stated that Ratcliffe was in Russia as part of a semi-routine trip. Trump clarified that the visit was not connected to potential Russian strikes on NATO countries or discussions surrounding Iranian sanctions, though he added that something positive might emerge from the CIA director's journey.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda confirmed that his government was informed in advance about Ratcliffe's trip to Moscow. Nausėda expressed optimism regarding the visit, suggesting it was intended to help reduce geopolitical tensions.
