Allies prepare for war until 2027 after Moscow talks fail

European and American officials are bracing for Russia’s war against Ukraine to continue until 2027, after talks between Trump’s envoys and Putin over the weekend yielded no breakthrough.

Bloomberg reports this.

President Donald Trump’s special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend as part of the administration’s latest attempt to restart peace negotiations. Witkoff described the talks as “very substantive” following his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday. However, European officials painted a far grimmer picture, telling Bloomberg that Putin showed no willingness to soften his position.

Putin’s winter strategy

According to Bloomberg’s sources, Moscow’s plan for the coming months involves intensifying strikes on Ukraine’s energy and heating infrastructure in order to make life as difficult as possible for the civilian population. The Kremlin is also expected to step up hybrid attacks and political interference in European countries with the aim of undermining support for Kyiv.

One source told Bloomberg that Putin is counting on improving Moscow’s position by next spring by keeping the Russian economy afloat despite mounting difficulties. According to another source, serious negotiations on a war settlement are unlikely to begin before next year.

Ukraine purchases Patriot interceptors

Against this backdrop, Ukraine has begun strengthening its missile defense. Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara announced on September 8 that Ukraine is signing contracts to purchase around 1,000 Patriot interceptors from partner countries using an EU loan. The European Commission approved Ukraine’s request to use funds from the bloc’s €90 billion support loan for the purchase, though formal approval is expected on September 11.

Most of the missiles will not arrive for several years. In light of this, Khmara urged allies to transfer interceptors from existing stockpiles now in exchange for upgraded missiles in the future. Khmara also noted that Ukraine’s defense budget faces a shortfall of approximately €23.2 billion.

Diplomatic moves

Despite the pessimistic assessments from European officials, the American side declared “substantial progress” and discussed a timeline for additional trilateral talks. Zelensky proposed holding new talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York and said he expects to meet with Trump in the second half of September.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a personal meeting between the two presidents has been tentatively agreed upon.