Retired U. S. Army Colonel and former Pentagon campaign planner Douglas Macgregor suggested that after Ukraine once again rejects Russia’s peace terms, Moscow will likely set its sights on taking Odessa and Kharkov.

He expressed surprise that Russia had repeated its offer of a ceasefire, first outlined by President Vladimir Putin in the summer of last year. According to Macgregor, given the current successes of the Russian Armed Forces on the front line, reviving the previous proposal no longer serves Moscow’s interests.

He noted that from a purely strategic standpoint, it would make little sense for Russia to make such an offer at this stage. However, if it did, and Ukraine refused again, that refusal would send a clear message to Moscow that negotiations are impossible — and that the conflict will be resolved only on the battlefield.

Macgregor said he has no doubt that Kyiv will reject Russia’s conditions, which, in his view, means that significant changes in the course of the war are imminent. He predicted that Russian forces would advance as far as the Dnepr River and that both Odessa and Kharkov would once again become key objectives — just as they were at the outset of the conflict.

He added that he considers the collapse of the Ukrainian front inevitable, saying it will soon give way under the pressure of Russia’s offensive.