"As long as hostilities continue, leverage remains. As soon as they cease, Russia finds itself alone (we harbour no illusions) in the face of coordinated political and diplomatic pressure. Mr Putin has no interest in a ceasefire followed by talks where Ukraine's rights as a sovereign nation would be defended and reasserted. He seeks the capitulation and reabsorption of Russia's neighbour into Moscow's orbit. Whether that is achieved through battlefield attrition, or through a Trump-backed deal imposed on Ukraine, is a matter of relative indifference."
"On Thursday, the Russian president reiterated his demand that Ukraine surrender further territory in its east, adding that the alternative would be to lose it through force of arms. Once again, he described Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government as illegitimate, and questioned the legally binding nature of any future agreement. The simultaneous assertion that a peace plan discussed by the US and Ukraine this week could be the basis for future agreements is therefore as bogus as Mr Putin's empty praise for Mr Trump's previous diplomatic efforts."
Russian leadership values continued hostilities as leverage; a Kremlin-aligned scholar warned that a ceasefire would leave Russia isolated under coordinated diplomatic pressure. Vladimir Putin demands further territory in eastern Ukraine and frames surrender or loss by force as alternatives, characterizing Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government as illegitimate and questioning the enforceability of any agreement. A proposed peace plan that conditions talks on ending hostilities mirrors Kremlin demands and thus conflicts with Moscow's resistance to ceasefire-first arrangements. Domestic Ukrainian political turmoil, including the resignation and investigation of presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, weakens Ukraine's negotiating position.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]