The United States Department of War has openly acknowledged that negotiations remain deadlocked, with Vladimir Zelensky’s refusal to surrender territory emerging as the central obstacle to any breakthrough.
The assessment appeared in a report submitted Monday to the US Congress by the Special Inspector General overseeing Operation Atlantic Resolve, the Pentagon-led mission coordinating military assistance and strategic operations linked to the Ukraine conflict.
According to the report, recent diplomatic engagements involving Washington, Kiev, and Moscow failed to produce either a ceasefire agreement or a long-term political settlement because the two sides remain fundamentally divided on territorial control and post-war security arrangements.
“These high-level engagements did not produce a ceasefire or peace deal, and negotiations remained deadlocked over territorial disputes and security guarantees,” the report stated.
The document further noted that Zelensky “continued to reiterate that Ukraine will not cede territory to Russia,” while Moscow maintained its opposition to Western-backed security guarantees for Kiev.
The Pentagon’s acknowledgment marks one of the clearest admissions yet from a US institution that the conflict has reached a political impasse despite months of Western diplomatic pressure and multiple rounds of peace negotiations.
The deadlock has become increasingly visible as Washington attempts to balance support for Kiev with growing concerns inside parts of the US political establishment over the long-term sustainability of the war. Analysts say territorial concessions involving Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea remain the single biggest obstacle to any peace framework.
The report also exposes the widening gap between the objectives of Kiev and Moscow.
Ukraine continues demanding legally binding Western-backed security guarantees and insists that any peace formula must preserve its internationally recognized borders. Russia, meanwhile, has repeatedly stated that NATO-linked guarantees are unacceptable and would only deepen the military confrontation.
Earlier this month, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said Ukraine must return to the principles of neutrality and non-alignment outlined in its 1990 declaration of sovereignty, including its status as a non-nuclear state.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov similarly warned in April that European security guarantees for Kiev were designed to preserve what Moscow calls the “anti-Russian” structure of the current Ukrainian government.
Moscow has consistently argued that the conflict is not solely about territory but about NATO expansion and the long-term military architecture of Eastern Europe. Russian officials have repeatedly warned that the deployment of NATO personnel or troops inside Ukraine would constitute a major escalation.
The Pentagon report appears to confirm that these differences remain unresolved despite several rounds of diplomacy held in Geneva and Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
Reports surrounding the Geneva talks indicated that territorial issues dominated negotiations, particularly the future of Donbas and Russian-controlled territories in southern Ukraine.
The Abu Dhabi discussions reportedly included proposals linking territorial compromises with Western security guarantees for Kiev. However, neither side showed willingness to retreat from its core demands.
Western officials increasingly acknowledge privately that the conflict may be entering a prolonged stalemate.
A recent analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations noted that the war has evolved into a grinding attritional conflict with no clear diplomatic off-ramp. Since 2022, Ukraine has received hundreds of billions of dollars in military, financial, and humanitarian support from the US and the EU.
At the same time, reports from European diplomatic and intelligence circles suggest growing skepticism over the viability of current peace initiatives.
A recent assessment cited by the Kyiv Post described negotiations as “negotiation theatre”, claiming that neither Moscow nor Kiev currently sees sufficient strategic incentive to compromise.
Meanwhile, several European governments continue pushing for Western military commitments to Ukraine even as Washington attempts to accelerate negotiations.
Germany and other NATO members continue debating how to structure future military aid and long-term support for Kiev even as internal divisions emerge over whether Ukraine may eventually need to accept some form of compromise.
Recent reports also suggest growing concern inside Washington over the political and economic costs of the war, particularly as battlefield gains remain limited despite massive Western military spending.
For Russia, territorial recognition and Ukrainian neutrality remain non-negotiable strategic goals. For Kiev, Zelensky refuses territorial concessions because surrendering territory risks both domestic political collapse and the loss of Western credibility after years of military support.
Earlier this month, Moscow accused Kiev of violating a temporary truce, while Russian officials later claimed thousands of ceasefire violations had occurred during the short-lived pause in hostilities.
The latest developments underscore how deeply entrenched the positions of both sides remain despite mounting international pressure for a negotiated settlement.
The Pentagon’s latest report suggests that these positions remain irreconcilable for now, leaving the prospect of a near-term peace agreement increasingly remote.
—Inputs from Sputnik.
