ISW: The Kremlin is exaggerating Russia's military power ahead of Putin's conversation with Trump
Kyiv • UNN
The Kremlin is trying to create the impression of a strong Russian military advantage before Putin's conversation with Trump. ISW analysts believe this is being done to divert attention from the problems of the Russian Federation.
The Kremlin continues to try to exaggerate its own military power ahead of US President Donald Trump's phone call with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. This is stated in a material from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
Details
Analysts point out that on Sunday, Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin published excerpts from an alleged "new" interview with Putin, in which he claims that Russia has enough manpower and equipment to bring the war in Ukraine to a "logical" conclusion with "necessary" results for itself.
Russian state media reported on May 18 that the excerpts ... are unreleased footage from the documentary "Russia. Kremlin. Putin. 25 years" published by the Kremlin on May 4
They suggest that the Kremlin's decision to postpone the publication of these videos until May 18 indicates that the Kremlin is trying to present Russia's strong military advantage to the West and the domestic Russian audience before Putin's telephone conversation with Trump.
"Putin is trying to divert attention from Russia's military and economic challenges. ... Russian troops are suffering significant losses on the battlefield at rates that are likely unacceptable in the medium and long term, which will put Putin in a difficult decision in 2026 or 2027," analysts predict.
Recall
On Monday, June 19, US President Donald Trump will hold a telephone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Trump said that after the conversation he plans to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and "various" NATO allies.
On the eve, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with US Vice President Jay Dee Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that during the negotiations in Istanbul, Russia put forward unrealistic conditions for establishing a lasting ceasefire.
