Russia is considering intensifying its military campaign against Ukraine as efforts to negotiate an end to the war appear to have reached an impasse, according to several sources close to the Kremlin. Moscow is reportedly weighing more powerful conventional ballistic missile strikes against Kyiv, including targets in the capital, as well as infrastructure in other Ukrainian cities.
The sources said existing negotiation frameworks had effectively collapsed, leaving Russia and Ukraine without progress toward a settlement. According to Bloomberg, the Kremlin has also abandoned hopes that an understanding it believed had been reached between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump during their summit in Alaska last August would lead Washington to pressure Ukraine into surrendering the remaining Ukrainian-held areas of Donetsk Oblast.
Ukraine has consistently rejected Russia's territorial demands. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also indicated in June that Washington did not share Moscow's assessment, stating that if an agreement had been reached, the war would already have ended. After talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in July, Rubio said that new approaches were needed.
In the absence of diplomatic progress, Kremlin-linked sources said Moscow increasingly sees further escalation as one of its few remaining options for pursuing its military objectives. Putin also signalled a tougher response in comments to Russian state television, warning that Ukraine should expect consequences for what he described as attacks on Russia's most sensitive economic sectors.
Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range strikes in recent months. Ukraine has targeted Russian oil refineries, logistics facilities and other infrastructure, while Russian missile attacks have continued to place pressure on Ukraine's air-defence capabilities and critical infrastructure.
Bloomberg also reported that an increasing number of Russian officials believe Putin could, as a last resort, consider using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. However, the report stressed that there is currently no indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons.
Tactical nuclear weapons generally have shorter ranges and lower yields than strategic nuclear weapons, but their use could still cause extensive destruction and radioactive contamination. According to Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, the likelihood of such a step remains extremely low while Moscow retains significant options for escalating with conventional weapons. The political consequences of breaking the long-standing nuclear taboo, he argued, would also be substantial.
Source: commonspace.eu with The Japan Times (Tokyo) and Ukrainian National News (Kyiv).
