Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that increasing military pressure is the best way to force Ukraine to effectively surrender and accept Moscow's terms, according to anonymous sources in the Kremlin.
In an interview with Bloomberg News, they confirmed that Putin does not believe US President Donald Trump is planning to strengthen Kiev's defenses. The talks in the Alaskan city of Anchorage “convinced” the Kremlin leader that his American counterpart has no interest in intervening in the war in Europe.
The Russian army has intensified its attacks on civilian and military targets, including energy infrastructure, in recent weeks. Moscow is responding to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's refusal to give up territories in the east of the country. Putin intends to continue the attacks on power plants and other objects, the sources added.
While Trump has spoken of the possibility of tougher sanctions against Russia, he has emphasized that it is primarily up to European allies to take the initiative. He has also proposed tariffs against China and India, which purchase Russian gas and oil.
Meanwhile, the EU plans to stop imports of Russian fossil fuels through the RePowerEU instrument, which aims to reduce imports to zero by January 1, 2028, a move that has been sharply criticized by Slovakia and Hungary in particular. However, Trump has also proposed sanctions against importers of Russian oil to representatives of the G7 countries.
Moscow's current tactics underscore the extent to which Washington's restraint is encouraging the Kremlin to continue its war of attrition to force Ukraine to make concessions, the American agency noted. In addition to weakening their opponent, Putin's people are also counting on a better negotiating position after a possible end to the fighting.
“It's important for Putin to show Trump and the Europeans that he can continue to afford to escalate the situation,” Vita Spivak, a Russia analyst at London-based consulting firm Gatehouse Advisory Partners, told Bloomberg. “Putin is trying to increase his leverage for the next round of negotiations on Ukraine, whenever that may be,” she added.
Bloomberg recalled that Putin had offered at the summit in Alaska to cease fighting in return for the return of unoccupied territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which Kiev understandably rejected. The Russian president believes that this rejection entitles him to escalate, the sources added.
(bloomberg, sab)