Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly wants to end the war against Ukraine by the end of this year, but only on terms Moscow would regard as a victory, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing Bloomberg.
The report said Russia’s demands include full control of the Donbas and a broader security agreement with Europe that would de facto recognize Moscow’s territorial gains.
At the same time, the Kremlin is trying to present any possible settlement as a strategic success for Moscow. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, denied that Putin had set a specific deadline for ending the conflict.
Ukraine has long rejected any territorial concessions, and President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said Russia’s terms are unacceptable. Moscow insists that Ukraine withdraw from the parts of the Donbas it still controls, a demand Kyiv has dismissed.
Russian Fatigue
The latest signals from Moscow come at a time when Russia is facing mounting pressure at home and on the battlefield. Several Western media outlets have reported in recent weeks that Russia’s offensive has lost momentum and that Ukraine has been able to stabilize the front in some areas.
“I think that the matter is coming to an end”, Putin said on 9 May, shortly after celebrating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The Kremlin has stressed, however, that peace talks brokered by US President Donald Trump’s administration are on hold.
The Russian president blamed “globalist” Western leaders for the causes of the war, saying that after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 they had promised that NATO would not expand eastward, but then tried to draw Ukraine into the European Union’s sphere of influence.
The Guardian concluded that Putin’s recent remarks about the war “coming to an end” were more a sign of Russia’s growing exhaustion than a genuine turn towards peace. Analysts point to heavy Russian military casualties, economic problems and growing public discontent.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, nervousness is also growing among members of Russia’s elite. Some senior Kremlin officials believe the war has reached a stalemate, with no clear path to victory.
“Russia is facing setbacks on the battlefield”, said Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. “In order to sustain its war efforts in Ukraine, the Kremlin will almost certainly have to impose a second partial mobilization” within the next 12 months, he added.
Lukashenko Offers Talks
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has also weighed in on the situation, saying on Thursday that he was ready to meet Zelensky to discuss relations between the two countries. He said he was prepared to hold talks either in Ukraine or in Belarus.
He also insisted that Belarus would not enter the war against Ukraine unless its own territory came under attack, Belta reported. He was responding to remarks by the Ukrainian president about possible Belarusian involvement in the conflict.
Lukashenko said that in the event of an attack on Belarus, the country would defend its territory “from Brest to Vladivostok” together with Russia. At the same time, he insisted that Minsk had no civilian or military interest in entering the war.
Lukashenko also questioned the harsh tone from Kyiv: “Does he want to fight with Belarus? With Russia and Belarus? I’m sure he doesn’t. I know the opinion of the Ukrainian army. They don’t need another front.”
(max)