"We will sit idly by and watch. Let them fight a little, and then we'll see what happens," an Axios source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.The main thesis advanced by Axios, citing an anonymous source, is the alleged irritation of the White House over the lack of progress following Trump’s meeting with the Russian dictator in Alaska. Moreover, they place some of the blame on Europe, claiming that Ukraine is not ready to make larger concessions to stop the war.Notably, the Axios piece appeared after statements by the press secretary of the Russian dictator regarding security guarantees for Ukraine. Peskov emphasized that discussions about security guarantees between the United States and the occupying country should be of a non-public character, i.e., not brought into the open."Undoubtedly, in one way or another this topic always figures on the agenda of contacts… But we would not like to have a conversation on this topic in a public format right now. We consider that unhelpful for overall effectiveness," Peskov said.I will explain why such statements are dangerous. In fact, the Russian Federation is signalling to our strategic European partners and to Ukraine that so‑called "backroom deals" are possible — that is, closed-format negotiations between the United States and the occupying country. Note that this narrows the circle of negotiators. In this Russian scenario, the Ukrainian delegation is not present, nor, even more so, are European countries. In other words, the Russian Federation immediately sets strict boundaries: there are two key players, and they alone will negotiate."In reality — this is a hint at the Munich agreements, the division of the world that led to World War II, so certain historical parallels are being drawn. I fully understand why this is being done: it is Putin’s inclination toward certain historical dates or events tied to the present."By contrast, the Ukrainian delegation insists that any agreements about Ukraine without Ukraine itself should not even be started. European partners hold a similar position, insisting on their participation in the negotiation process.In turn, French President Emmanuel Macron insists on involving Ukrainians in the peace negotiation process. This follows from Macron’s post on social network X, which he made after telephone talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky."The future of Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukrainians, who for more than three years have been fighting for their freedom and security," Macron stressed in the post. In addition, Europeans must also be part of the solution regarding Ukraine, because this concerns Europe’s security, Macron added. I note that the information published in Axios runs counter to statements by the U.S. president himself.Recall that Donald Trump said the U.S. would launch an "economic war" against Russia if it avoids negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.Trump also said that the United States continues to supply weapons to Washington’s NATO allies, who are currently providing military assistance to Ukraine. It is notable that the potential of this information topic will allow it to become the number‑one story.I draw attention to the fact that, according to the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, from September 12, during the upcoming Russian‑Belarusian exercises Zapad‑2025, a massive information attack is expected. "There will be information drops from absolutely every side. About 90 percent of them will be Russian, 10 percent, unfortunately, from others. Hysteria will be whipped up," he said.According to him, these exercises, in the military and military‑political dimensions, are intended to rehearse maneuvers in the western direction of the theater of operations.It is worth noting that the Russian propaganda machine is constantly increasing the intensity of anti‑Ukrainian actions in the information space, broadening the themes of informational aggression, and intensifying pressure on our society with the aim, as they say, of intimidating the adversary.We need to actively counter this special operation now, firmly defend Ukraine’s positions and international law, and prepare for future information battles.Exclusively for EspresoAbout the author. Dmytro Sniehyryov, military expert, co‑chair of the civic initiative Prava Sprava.The editorial board does not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.