He's destroying Russia by not making a deal
On the 1,064th day of a war that has reshaped the European order, Ukrainian drones reached deep into Russian territory while a new American president began pulling the levers of diplomacy — threatening sanctions, pressing China, and signaling that the geometry of Western support may be shifting. The strikes on Russian fuel and aviation infrastructure were acts of strategic attrition; Trump's warnings were acts of strategic ambiguity. Both sides are probing, and the space between war and negotiation remains as contested as the front lines themselves.
- Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Voronezh and an aviation plant in Smolensk, bringing the war's material costs visibly onto Russian soil.
- Russia launched 131 drones and missiles at Ukraine the same night, underscoring that escalation is running in both directions simultaneously.
- Trump threatened new sanctions against Russia if Putin refuses to negotiate, but offered no specifics — a pressure campaign built more on tone than architecture.
- Trump urged Xi Jinping to use China's leverage to end the war, acknowledging a diplomatic reality: Washington cannot broker peace alone.
- The Trump administration is reviewing weapons aid to Ukraine and pushing Europe to carry more of the burden, signaling a potential rebalancing of alliance commitments.
On day 1,064 of the war, Ukrainian drones crossed into Russia and struck an oil depot in the Voronezh region, setting fuel tanks ablaze, and later hit an aviation plant in Smolensk where combat aircraft are manufactured. Ukraine released footage confirming the damage. Russia claimed to have intercepted 55 drones, though the strikes clearly landed. That same night, Ukrainian air defenses faced a heavier assault — 131 Russian drones and decoys, plus four missiles aimed at Ukrainian territory.
The military exchange unfolded against a shifting diplomatic backdrop. Donald Trump, in his second week as president, warned that fresh sanctions could follow if Putin refused to come to the table. "He's destroying Russia by not making a deal," Trump said — a pointed message, if a vague one. He confirmed he had already spoken with Zelenskyy and that a call with Putin was forthcoming.
Trump was also working other channels. In a conversation with Xi Jinping, he pressed China to use its influence to help end the war, suggesting Xi had not yet done enough. The Kremlin confirmed that Putin and Xi had spoken separately, discussing the prospect of talks with Trump and the contours of a possible settlement.
Trump also claimed that Russia would never have invaded under his watch, citing what he described as a personal understanding with Putin that Biden had lacked. The assertion was unprovable, but it framed his approach: that force of personality, combined with economic pressure and diplomatic triangulation, might succeed where the previous administration had not.
What is taking shape is a new American posture — threatening Russia with consequences, enlisting China as a potential broker, and quietly signaling that Europe must absorb more of the cost of Ukraine's defense. Whether any of it will move Putin remains the open question.
On the morning of day 1,064 of the war, Ukrainian drones crossed into Russian territory and found their targets. An oil depot near the town of Liski in the Voronezh region, which sits just across the border from Ukraine, erupted in flames. Fuel tanks caught fire—the same supplies that keep Russian forces moving. Hours later, another strike hit an aviation plant in Smolensk, deeper inside Russia, where combat aircraft are built. Explosions followed. The Ukrainian military released footage and photographs showing the damage. Moscow's account differed on details but not on the essential fact: the strikes had landed. Russia claimed to have shot down 55 drones that night, though more than half fell in border regions. Meanwhile, Ukrainian air defenses were working overtime against a heavier barrage—131 Russian drones and decoys, plus four missiles, all aimed at Ukrainian territory.
The strikes came as a different kind of pressure was building on the diplomatic front. Donald Trump, now in his second week as president, was signaling that he had limits to his patience with Russia's refusal to negotiate. In a statement on Monday, he suggested that fresh sanctions might be coming if Putin did not agree to talks. "He's destroying Russia by not making a deal," Trump said of the Russian president. The threat was vague—Trump offered no specifics about what new measures might look like—but the message was clear enough: the window for negotiation was open, and it would not stay open forever.
Trump also made clear he was working multiple channels at once. He said he had already spoken with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, and that conversations with Putin were coming soon. "We're going to look at it," he said, leaving the shape of those talks undefined. But he was also pressing other powers to move. In a call with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, Trump had urged China to use its influence to end the war. Xi, Trump said, had not done much on that front so far. "He's got a lot of power, like we have a lot of power," Trump told reporters. "I said, 'You ought to get it settled.'" The Kremlin confirmed the diplomatic activity: a foreign policy aide said Putin and Xi had spoken on Tuesday and discussed the possibility of talks with Trump and what a peace settlement might look like.
Trump also took the opportunity to rewrite recent history. He claimed that Russia would never have invaded Ukraine had he been president instead of Joe Biden. "I had a very strong understanding with Putin," he said. "He disrespected Biden. Very simple." The implication was that Trump possessed a kind of personal authority with the Russian leader that Biden had lacked—a claim that could not be tested but that Trump seemed to believe would matter in the weeks ahead.
As for the mechanics of ending the war, Trump's administration was beginning to examine the question of weapons shipments to Ukraine. He suggested that Europe should be shouldering more of the burden of support. The picture emerging was one of a new American president trying to reset the terms of engagement: threatening Russia with consequences if it refused to talk, pressing China to help broker a deal, and signaling that the United States would not carry the weight of Ukrainian defense alone. Whether any of this would move Putin toward the negotiating table remained to be seen.
Citações Notáveis
He's destroying Russia by not making a deal— Donald Trump, on Vladimir Putin's refusal to negotiate
Tanks with fuel and lubricants used by the occupiers to supply Russian troops caught fire— Ukrainian army statement on the Liski oil depot strike
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Trump keep mentioning his "understanding" with Putin? What does that actually mean?
It's a claim about personal rapport—the idea that Trump and Putin had a relationship of mutual respect that prevented miscalculation. Whether that was real or imagined, Trump seems to believe it mattered. He's using it now as evidence that he can succeed where Biden failed.
And the sanctions threat—is that credible? The US has already sanctioned Russia heavily.
That's the question. Trump hasn't said what new sanctions would look like. But the threat itself is a negotiating tactic. He's telling Putin: come to the table, or face more pain. Whether he follows through depends on how Putin responds.
Why is Trump pushing China so hard on this?
China has leverage with Russia that the US doesn't. If Xi told Putin to negotiate, it might matter. Trump seems to think the burden of peacemaking shouldn't fall only on America.
And the drone strikes—do they change anything diplomatically?
They show Ukraine is still capable of hitting Russian infrastructure. But they also show the war is grinding on. Both sides are still fighting hard, which makes Trump's push for talks even more urgent—and more uncertain.