ISW: Putin is holding the ceasefire proposal "hostage" to gain concessions
Kyiv • UNN
According to ISW, Putin rejected the US and Ukrainian ceasefire proposal, insisting on demands tantamount to surrender. He seeks to hold the ceasefire proposal "hostage".
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin did not accept the American-Ukrainian proposal for a temporary ceasefire on the front line and repeated his demands, which are tantamount to Ukraine's capitulation. According to the results of the telephone conversation between Putin and US President Donald Trump, experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) came to this conclusion, UNN reports.
Details
It is noted that, according to the Kremlin, Putin stressed the need to eliminate the "root causes" of the war.
Russian officials have repeatedly identified these root causes as NATO's expansion to the East and Ukraine's alleged violation of the rights of Russian-speaking minorities in Ukraine. Russian officials' calls for the elimination of these "root causes" are tantamount to Russian demands for Ukraine's permanent neutrality and the establishment of a pro-Russian government in Kyiv
They also point out that the Russian dictator demanded that Ukraine cease mobilization during a possible temporary ceasefire, and also called for an end to any foreign military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but did not discuss military support for Russia from North Korea, China and Iran.
Putin said that Russia and the United States should continue their efforts to reach a peaceful settlement in a "bilateral format", excluding Ukraine or Europe from future negotiations on the war in Ukraine. Putin's demands during the March 18 call are consistent with those he made on March 13
They suggest that Putin is trying to hold the temporary ceasefire proposal "hostage" in order to gain preemptive concessions before official negotiations on ending the war.
"Putin's insistence on Ukraine's capitulation demonstrates that Putin is not interested in good faith negotiations to achieve Trump's stated goal of achieving a lasting peace in Ukraine," the analysts conclude.
Recall
On March 18, Trump and Putin had a telephone conversation. According to its results, the head of the White House, in particular, stated that he did not discuss with the Russian dictator the issue of stopping aid to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not yet spoken with Donald Trump after his telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin. He hopes to speak soon to understand the details.
