Global Affairs August 6, 2025.
Russian military aggression against Ukraine has greatly intensified since Donald Trump resumed unofficial diplomatic efforts this year, according to Ukrainian defense officials and independent conflict monitors. Since reentering global politics with pledges to “end this war quickly” through negotiations between him and Vladimir Putin, according to independent conflict monitors, more Russian strikes than ever have taken place against Ukrainian territory.
Since President Trump unofficially started acting as peace envoy–widely promoted through social media and rallies–Russian missile, drone, and artillery attacks have seen an exponential surge. Ukrainian military spokesperson Col. Serhiy Baranov reported this week that in July alone alone Russia conducted over 1,200 separate attacks across Ukrainian territory; that compares with just over 500 incidents reported back in January.
“This is no de-escalation,” Baranov stated at a briefing in Kyiv. Despite statements by President Trump about peace talks and diplomacy, we have witnessed increased bombardment, increased targeting of civilian infrastructure and use of more advanced weapons systems.
Hostilities have increased as President Donald Trump and real estate developer Steven Witkoff, his self-assigned envoy, conduct backchannel talks with Russian officials. Last week, Witkoff met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and delivered what he described as Trump’s personal “message of hope and resolution”. Unfortunately, Ukrainian officials claim no tangible progress has been made through these discussions, leaving many believing Russia could use these discussions as diplomatic cover to escalate.
President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a statement from his office, voicing its “deep skepticism” of any informal negotiations not sanctioned or coordinated with international allies, such as parallel talks that ignore our sovereignty and potentially legitimizing aggression. This would likely constitute any peace initiative without Ukraine being at the table and these parallel discussions ignoring its sovereignty may legitimize aggression, the statement read.
While Ukraine’s frontline cities of Kharkiv, Dnipro and Mykolaiv continue to face relentless attacks from Russia’s cruise missiles – such as those launched on August 3 that struck a hospital in Kharkiv killing 18 people including children and medical staff – international condemnations has not resulted in any change of tactics from Moscow.
Trump has repeatedly asserted his ability to bring peace in 24 hours if elected president, with one campaign rally in Ohio cementing this claim: he said of Biden “that he’s weak, fuelling this war. As for me sitting with Putin to strike a deal – it will be beautiful”.
Critics contend that Trump’s statements could embolden Russia by signaling divisions within Western response. NATO officials, while not directly commenting on Trump, warned this week that Russia appears to be testing the limits of Western resolve.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg noted, “we are witnessing more coordinated missile swarms, longer range attacks, and greater cyber disruption,” noting peace is an objective we share but appeasement never stops aggression.
U.S. officials under the Biden administration have been tight-lipped regarding Donald Trump’s shadow diplomacy, yet sources indicate increasing concerns within the State Department over its potential to undermine formal negotiations.
As Russia attacks Ukraine further and Ukraine braces itself for another harsh winter, many are questioning whether Trump’s peace narrative is actually helping bring about an end to the conflict, or simply prolonging it further.