In the dead of night, deep inside the Kremlin, BBC correspondent Steve Rosenberg found himself literally and metaphorically lost. Wandering through its grand, maze-like corridors after a midnight event with President Putin, Rosenberg’s experience became a fitting symbol of the current state of the Ukraine conflict: full of twists, conflicting directions, and no clear exit.
Over the past two weeks, Russia has launched a flurry of diplomatic and media maneuvers. Putin unexpectedly went on live TV to call for peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, a surprising shift from the originally planned press Q&A. This was followed by discussions with international figures, including Donald Trump, sparking speculation about a potential peace framework. Yet despite the noise, no real progress has been made toward ending the war.
Moscow remains unwavering. The Kremlin has ruled out a full ceasefire and insists it will not give up any of the Ukrainian territories it now claims as its own. Instead, its focus appears to be on solidifying gains and pressing forward, leaving Kyiv, and much of the world deeply skeptical of Russia’s peace overtures.
Like the disorienting halls of the Kremlin, the path to peace is fraught with uncertainty and dead ends. While diplomacy continues to stir on the surface, the reality on the ground tells a different story: the war grinds on, and a true resolution remains as distant as ever.
