The Kremlin believes it can gain more by continuing hostilities while using negotiations as a foreign policy tool. This is reported by New York Times, according to UNN.
Details
Over the past two years, Russian dictator Putin has consistently insisted on two main points: Ukraine must withdraw its troops from the rest of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and exclude the possibility of NATO membership.
Putin reaffirmed this position on Friday at his annual press conference. He said that Russia is ready to make some "compromises," which are believed to include giving up some Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. But he stressed that Moscow, as before, is ready to continue fighting for the full occupation of the Donetsk region
Even though Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has cost both the Russian economy and the Russian army dearly, the publication emphasizes that "the Kremlin still seems to believe that it can gain more by fighting."
In addition, the Russian economy is at its weakest point since 2022, interest rates are at record highs, and growth rates are falling into recession. But despite the sanctions imposed by the West due to the war, analysts say that the country is still far from an economic crisis that would force the Kremlin to change course.
However, Dmitry Medvedev, former president and now secretary of the Russian Security Council, said on Wednesday that about 417,000 recruits have signed new contracts to join the Russian army in 2025, a figure largely consistent with independent researchers' estimates.
The constant flow of new recruits means that Russia can afford to continue the war despite heavy losses.
However, Russia is still interested in negotiations on a possible peace agreement to maintain working relations with Washington and avoid taking full blame for the ongoing conflict, experts say
Moscow is also interested in postponing any additional sanctions or other economic restrictions from Washington.
Recall
From President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time appeared 20 points of the "basic document on ending the war".