Kremlin prepares Russians for peace rejection, using Medvedchuk for this - ISW

The Kremlin is preparing the Russian population for a rejection of peace in the near future amid ongoing negotiations between the US, Ukraine, and Europe. This is stated in a material from the Institute for the Study of War, reported by UNN.

Details

Analysts point to a widely circulated statement by former Verkhovna Rada deputy and close friend of Russian dictator Putin, Viktor Medvedchuk, who claimed that "there will be no peace in Ukraine in 2026." Medvedchuk also reiterated the assertion that "time is on the Kremlin's side" and emphasized the Kremlin's desire to achieve its initial war goals without negotiations with Ukraine.

Medvedchuk also repeated long-standing Kremlin rhetoric that falsely portrays Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a war against the West, stated that the Ukrainian government is illegitimate, and rejected the idea of holding elections in Ukraine (which the Kremlin itself had demanded to secure a peace agreement) under any conditions other than Russia's.

Putin and Kremlin officials have repeatedly used these rhetorical lines to emphasize Russia's commitment to its initial war goals and a victory theory that posits that the Russian military and economy can outlast Ukraine and Western support for Ukraine – a theory that the West can help disprove by supporting Ukraine. The Kremlin uses Medvedchuk for more extreme statements than Putin and Kremlin officials themselves make through a voice that claims to represent Ukraine

Analysts suggest that the Kremlin is likely using Medvedchuk's interview to justify Russia's rejection of peace efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine and intends to completely reject any peace proposal that does not meet Russia's maximalist demands.

Recall

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia's goals in Ukraine include the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions. This expands Russia's demands even beyond the 28-point US peace plan.

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