Putin is ready to freeze the war, but without "significant" territorial concessions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be able to end the war in Ukraine without serious consequences for his country. Political extremists inside the country could “tie his hands.”
This opinion was expressed by Samuel Ramani, an expert on US and Russian relations with the Middle East and South Asia, in his column for The Telegraph.
He recalled that Putin had tacitly expressed his willingness to discuss a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine with newly elected US President Donald Trump, which would freeze the conflict. However, the Kremlin publicly says that it is not going to allow this.
The journalist also noted that “Putin rejected Turkey's peace plan for Ukraine. It envisaged freezing the current hostilities and Ukraine's refusal to join NATO for at least ten years. In addition, it was proposed to deploy international troops on the demilitarized border in the east of our country.”
“Trump may offer Putin a similar plan after his inauguration. For the Kremlin to agree to negotiations, the United States will have to go along with Putin's maximalist vision, which envisages recognition of the territories of Ukraine seized by Russia and its refusal to join NATO on a permanent basis. Another “stumbling block” is the Kursk region. Putin is not going to go to peace talks until he returns this region under his control. The chances that Trump will agree to all the demands of the Russian dictator are unlikely,” — he writes.
The journalist added that for the Russian Federation, diplomacy is a tool of psychological warfare and an opportunity to buy time in order to achieve as many military successes as possible.
“As soon as the negotiations begin, Putin will immediately remind us about the ATACMS missile strikes on Ukraine and the occupation of the Kursk region,” Ramani added.
Recall that Erdogan stated that the administration of newly elected US President Donald Trump will be focused on a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine, so that it can be quickly ended.
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