Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: AFP
It has been more than 1000 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, and there seems to be no end in sight.
This week, Russian president Vladimir Putin levelled threats against Kyiv with a new ballistic missile, dubbed Oreshnik.
With neither Putin or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seemingly prepared to give up their position, expect both to hold firm ahead of potential peace talks, according to veteran war correspondent Mike Eckel.
"I think what's happening right now from all sides, being it the Americans, the Europeans, the Ukrainians, and for Russia, there is a jockeying for positioning on the negotiation table," he told Sunday Morning.
"People are setting out their chips, trying to see where they can position themselves [for] when the actual process of talks finally get started.
"That's why you see a lot of nuclear rattling from Russia, that's why you see Zelensky saying 'we want this to be under the NATO umbrella', whether or not that's realistic, that's a very open question."
Eckel said from the United States' standpoint, there is talk over how the sides are going to have to come together and negotiate a deal, which could see weaponry and aid to Ukraine end, or the increase of sanctions on Russia.
"What we are seeing right now is people jockeying for position ahead of whatever talk finally materialise in the coming weeks, and I don't think we will see that happen until after 20 January when a new president is inaugurated in the United States," he said.
Ahead of potential peace talks, Eckel has warned Zelensky and Ukraine to temper expectations, with NATO unlikely to view their desires with the same lense.
"It's almost a maximal position. He wants Ukraine to be a part of NATO in some form or fashion going forward. Now, whether NATO see that as being realistic…there's a lot of wariness from the Germans for example about whether that is even possible in the near future," he said.
"There is also some realism that has infected the Zelensky administration's thinking. The fact of the matter is despite the Zelensky administration saying, 'we want to take this territory back'…the reality is that's not going to happen in the short term."
At the other side of the table, Putin is also facing increasing pressure to end the war, with patience wearing thin amongst the Russian people, according to Eckel.
While he said the Russian economy has withstood two and half years of crippling sanctions from the west, the future is less optimistic.
"They've been able to fund their budget, they've been able to fund the war-fighting effort, and for the most part, the wider part of the Russian population has not suffered economically in any way, shape or form," he said.
"However, the warning lights are indeed flashing. Inflation is running rampant right now. You're seeing basic food prices for things like potatoes, butter and milk running through the roof.
"Mortgages for things like apartments are putting a real damper of real estate transactions inside of Russia. There is this concern inside of Russia that the general population is feeling the real impact that the Kremlin war economy has opposed upon the country."
Meanwhile, there are also reports that Russia is experiencing war fatigue as it struggles to recruit soldiers for the conflict.
Eckel said they are now starting to see strains on Russian's recruitment policy and its required funding, and predicts increased challenges next year.
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