Russian President Vladimir Putin is doubling down on a fictional picture of the battlefield that he defines as “reality” and using it to justify Russia’s refusal to make meaningful compromises in peace negotiations with Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said. Putin reiterated Russia’s commitment to achieving all of its war aims through military means during his Saturday meeting with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and former senior adviser to President Donald Trump Jared Kushner, according to Russian Presidential Aide Yuriy Ushakov.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Ushakov said on Sunday that Putin gave the US envoys a comprehensive assessment of Russia’s “significant advances” along the frontline – a claim ISW said was exaggerated and did not match the realities on the ground. A person close to the Kremlin told Reuters before Witkoff and Kushner’s visit that there would be no peace agreement until Russian forces seize the remainder of the Donetsk region. The source said Putin is confident his forces can capture the entire region by the end of 2026 – the Kremlin’s latest deadline for achieving the goal. ISW said that belief is being reinforced by Russia’s own military leadership. “The Russian military systematically misinforms Putin about the state of the front line,” the think tank said, pointing to the pervasive culture of lying within the Russian armed forces that Russian milbloggers refer to as “beautiful reports.”