2023-12-24 04:07:41
2023-12-24 12:07 Compiled by United Daily News Lu Silun/Real-time reporting
The New York Times reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently firmly stated in public that the Russia-Ukraine war will be fought to the end. However, former Russian officials and U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter revealed that since at least September, the Kremlin has released information on peace talks through secret diplomatic channels. , and does not rule out a ceasefire on the current front, as long as Russia can claim victory.
In fact, U.S. officials stated that as early as a year ago, in the fall of 2022, the Ukrainian army defeated the Russian army in northeastern Russia. At that time, Putin released a message of intention to cease fire and stated that he was satisfied with the gains he had won so far. territory, and was preparing for a truce, but it was not reported.
Officials familiar with the matter said that Putin’s ceasefire agreement included Ukraine maintaining its sovereignty and continuing to use Kiev as its capital, while Russia retained the 20% of occupied Ukrainian territory.
As for whether Ukraine’s admission to NATO will block the agreement, a former Russian official said that for the foreseeable future, Ukraine is unlikely to join NATO, so it is unlikely to be a breaking factor.
However, senior US officials said that Ukraine has always advocated regaining all its territory and there is no evidence that its leaders will accept the armistice agreement.
Putin’s repeated gestures of intentional ceasefire illustrate that opportunism and improvisation have become his way of handling the war behind closed doors. Interviewees and international officials who know Putin well and are familiar with the inner workings of the Kremlin said in dozens of interviews that the Russia-Ukraine war has gone on longer than Putin expected, and that he has sought to reduce risks and keep options open.
However, some U.S. officials also said that this may be a consistent misleading trick by the Kremlin and not that Putin really intends to compromise. Former Russian officials also added that if the Russian army gains momentum, Putin may change his mind again.
One of the former senior Russian officials told the New York Times, “He does intend to have a ceasefire on the current front. He is not willing to retreat even a little bit, even one meter.”
Current and former officials all mentioned that the current situation, such as the deadlocked war situation, the delayed offensive in Ukraine, Putin’s declining support in the West, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that broke out in October, made Putin think that The time for a truce.
The New York Times interviewed U.S. and Russian officials familiar with the matter and revealed that Putin has successively released information about the peace talks through secret diplomatic channels.european news agency
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov responded to the comments saying, “In principle, these statements are incorrect.” When asked whether Russia was prepared to cease fire on the current front, Peskov cited Putin’s recent remarks, saying Russia’s goals have not changed. “Putin is indeed ready and has said that he intends to talk. Russia has always been ready, as long as it meets Russia’s own goals.”
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