West Braces for Ukraine War to Stretch Into 2027 as Putin Rejects Peace Push

US and European officials increasingly expect Russia’s war against Ukraine to continue into 2027 after the latest push to restart peace talks with the Kremlin failed to deliver a breakthrough, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 8, citing people familiar with the matter. US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before traveling to Kyiv, but the diplomatic effort failed to produce significant progress, according to the report.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Putin spent three hours with the US envoys at the Kremlin but showed no willingness to soften his position, European officials told Bloomberg. Instead, he is expected to intensify attacks on Ukraine as winter approaches. Russia is also preparing a new campaign against Ukraine’s energy and heating infrastructure over the next six months, one source told Bloomberg. The goal would be to make life increasingly difficult for civilians while Moscow steps up hybrid attacks across Europe to weaken Western support for Kyiv. Putin is betting that Russia will enter next spring in a stronger position, the source said, while seeking to keep the country’s increasingly strained economy afloat. “Serious negotiations” are unlikely before then, according to the source. Putin uses US envoys to project strength Another Bloomberg source said Putin used the high-profile visit by Witkoff and Kushner to project strength to a domestic audience ahead of Russia’s September State Duma elections. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Signs Contracts for 1,000 Patriot Missiles as Germany Pledges Interceptors From Its Own Reserves Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the transfer of PAC-2 missiles to Ukraine from Bundeswehr stocks, while Ukraine’s Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara said contracts are being signed with partners. Three-way Russia-Ukraine talks involving the US could take place after the vote, following announcements by Witkoff and the Kremlin. But Bloomberg’s sources said the meeting is unlikely to bring the sides significantly closer to a peace deal. The diplomatic deadlock is putting renewed pressure on Europe to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses ahead of another winter of Russian attacks. The UK announced an additional £100 million ($135 million) in military assistance to Ukraine on Tuesday. Germany is also preparing an urgent transfer of Patriot interceptor missiles from its own stocks, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. “I realize that it is not easy to balance between my own security requirements and the urgently necessary support for Ukraine,” Pistorius said. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara said on Tuesday that contracts are being signed with allies for the supply of about 1,000 Patriot missiles using the EU loan. “I ask you to adopt the necessary financial decisions by November, so we can already see results on the battlefield this winter,” Khmara said according to Interfax-Ukraine, adding that “up to 90% of our success on the battlefield depends on drones.” The latest warnings come as Kyiv’s allies increasingly prepare for the possibility that diplomacy will not end Russia’s war this year – and that Ukraine will once again face a winter under sustained Russian missile and drone attacks. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.