Ukrainians expect Russia to launch fresh offensive to strengthen its negotiating position

The move could give Russian President Vladimir Putin every reason to delay discussions about pausing the fighting in favor of seeking more land, the Ukrainian officials said, renewing their country's repeated arguments that Russia has no intention of engaging in meaningful dialogue to end the war. “On the entire front line, the strategic initiative is completely in the hands of the Russian armed forces,” Putin said Thursday at a forum in the Arctic port of Murmansk. The offensive will allow Russian forces to move toward the city of Zaporizhzhia and "force the enemy to redeploy its troops from other sectors, leaving Robotyne and Mala Tokmachka badly protected,” the blog known as Rybar said, adding that the new offensive “could be the first step toward the liberation of the Zaporizhzhia region.”