Matthew Luxmore

So people are very, very closely following the peace talks.

They want desperately an end to the war.

They're championing Trump's pressure on Russia.

But fundamentally, people in Ukraine say,

that if a peace deal comes at the expense of a large swathe of territory in East Ukraine, territory where Ukraine's most robust defensive positions are, and that thousands of soldiers have given their lives defending, that is not a peace that Ukrainians are willing to accept.

Well, I mean, drones play a large part in why this war is so stuck in a way.

There's a whole swathe of the frontline areas where drones rule the skies.

And it's impossible really for either side to move forward because as soon as a small group of soldiers moves forward, they are immediately targeted by drones.

Both sides are

pumping out to the tunes of many millions per year because they're ramping up their industries able to build these explosive drones, which are cheap and reliable and increasingly precise.

And it's made the fight much more perilous.

And as we've seen in Ukraine, at least much more static.

Well, it's really turned into a war of attrition.

Both sides are losing many, many soldiers, equipment.

It's an incredibly expensive enterprise, of course.

What we've seen with Russia is that it seems to be preparing for the possibility of a long war.

It's funneled a huge amount of money and resources into

into building up its war economy, its military industrial complex.

It's recruiting very, very actively, especially in the Russian provinces where people live poorly and they are more easily swayed by financial incentives to join the military.

So this kind of model has worked out for Russia so far.