Russian President Vladimir Putin has stationed around 50,000 troops near Ukraine’s northern border, even though both the U.S. and Ukraine are jointly urging Moscow to participate in substantial ceasefire talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned on Wednesday that Putin is gearing up for a large-scale summer assault, aiming to drive Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s Kursk region and initiate a fresh incursion into Ukraine’s Sumy region — just 200 miles from Kyiv, the capital city.

This week, Zelenskyy reinforced his willingness to engage in direct discussions with Putin and suggested that if a one-on-one meeting is not agreeable for the Kremlin leader, then a trilateral meeting including President Donald Trump could be an alternative.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania, on May 16. (Ercin Erturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The movement of Russian troops comes as Putin looks to create a roughly 6-mile wide “buffer zone,” which Moscow reportedly has been attempting to carry out since 2024, but which was thwarted by Ukraine’s Kursk invasion. 

Implementing a buffer zone on Ukraine’s northern territory will likely be used as a bargaining chip if Moscow engages in ceasefire negotiations, which Kyiv has said Russia has failed to do in good faith after delegations from both sides met in Istanbul earlier this month, but failed to advance peace talks. 

A Ukrainian T64 battle tank fires on a Russian troop position in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Jan. 9, 2024. (Roman Chop/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Russia late on Wednesday suggested a second Istanbul meeting, where it said it would present its “memorandum” of ceasefire terms.

Ukraine has thus far not accepted another meeting with Russia and on Thursday said Moscow “promised” to supply its memorandum ahead of any future talks. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets a Russian delegation and some officials ahead of the Istanbul talks in Moscow on May 14. (Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“They are scared to share it because they filled the document with ultimatums and demands,” Tykhyi said Thursday. “They understand this document is needed not to advance the peace process but to stall.”

Tykhyi argued that “[i]f they have nothing to hide, if this document is workable” then there “should be no problem in sharing the document,” which he said is needed to ensure the negotiating parties can achieve a “meaningful result.”

Ukraine has already submitted their ceasefire terms.