Two-faced strategy: Putin demonstrates dual approaches to resolving the "Ukrainian issue" - NBC News
Kyiv • UNN
Putin demonstrates dual approaches by sending negotiators to the US while simultaneously building up military might. His strategy is aimed at prolonging negotiations and advancing on the battlefield.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is demonstrating "double approaches" in negotiations for peace. This is stated in a material by NBC News, reports UNN.
Details
The publication reminds that this week Putin sent one of his close associates, Kirill Dmitriev, to Washington for diplomatic negotiations.
At the same time, Putin ordered the mobilization of 160,000 troops, the most in the last 14 years, while his drones continue to bombard civilians in Ukraine at night, and he is planning a spring offensive
According to some Western foreign policy experts, these double approaches perfectly illustrate Russia's strategy. In particular, Putin is slowing down negotiations with US President Donald Trump in order to advance on the battlefield in Ukraine, while betting on achieving normalization of relations with the White House.
Putin continues to confuse, continues to drag on. We see you, Vladimir Putin. We know what you're doing
The author points out that this frustration is felt in the White House, which under Trump took a much friendlier approach to the Kremlin than previous administrations. According to Oleg Ignatov, a senior analyst on Russian issues at the International Crisis Group in Brussels, this growing discontent explains why Moscow sent Dmitriev to Washington.
Dmitriev has direct access to Putin. In the Russian system, this is the most important thing a negotiator can have. He also has his own connections in the United States
In turn, Professor-Researcher of the Institute for Peace Research in Oslo, Pavel Bayev, believes that the significance of Dmitriev's visit may be that he is not a career diplomat.
His apparent closeness to Putin makes him more than just an emissary. He looks like a person who can really negotiate and compromise
Meanwhile, Robert Hamilton, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and current head of research at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, notes that Dmitriev's main task is to restore ties with Washington, not to signal any reduction in ambitions regarding Ukraine.
The Kremlin is actually seeking to take a back seat on Ukraine and carry out a broader reset with the United States, which will leave Ukraine and Europe out of the process and untie Russia's hands to continue the war
The publication summarizes that although the call-up to the Russian army is only slightly higher than in previous years, and conscripts are legally prohibited from participating in what Russia calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine, this is a symptom of Russia's growing militarization - a change that has led to the entire country's economy being geared towards military operations.
Let us remind you
Russia's cluster missile strike on Kryvyi Rih was aimed against civilians, including children. There was no military object at the site of the impact, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said in a statement.