Putin Ready to End the War in Ukraine with a Number of Conditions

Russia does not want to hand back the territory it has seized from Ukraine. Peace is still far away.

SERGEI GUNEYEV, SPUTNIK, KREMLIN POOL PHOTO VIA AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin applauded during a signing ceremony following talks with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Moscow on May 23, 2024.

MOSCOW, SATURDAY – Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to stop the war in Ukraine through ceasefire. The condition is that negotiations must recognize the border line according to the results of the current battle. However, Russia will continue fighting if Ukraine and the West do not respond to these conditions.

This was conveyed by four sources close to the discussion of the matter to the Reuters news agency, Friday (24/5/2024). Three of the four sources said Putin was frustrated with what he saw as Western efforts to obstruct negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to abandon the talks.

"Putin can fight for as long as necessary, but he is also ready for a ceasefire, to stop the war," said one source.

He is a senior who has worked with Putin and is familiar with high-level discussions in the Kremlin. All four sources agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

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For the report, Reuters stated that they have spoken with five people who are currently or have worked with Putin in the world of politics and business. The fifth source did not comment on the cessation of the war with the current boundary line.

RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE VIA AP

Photo from a video clip on May 21, 2024 shows the Russian Armed Forces' multi-launcher rocket BM-21 "Grad" 122 mm firing rockets at a secret location.

They all agree, Putin insists on locking in the achievements on the negotiating battlefield and this cannot be negotiated. "Putin will say that we won, that NATO attacked us and we defended our sovereignty, that we have a land corridor to Crimea, and that is indeed true," said one source.

Stopping the conflict with the current border will make Moscow have a substantial portion of Ukrainian territory that was officially annexed by Russia in September 2022. However, Russia does not have full control over the areas that include Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaphorizhia, and Kherson. Russian forces now control about 18 percent of Ukrainian territory and have made advances into northeast Kharkiv this month.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that there is no way Russia will give back the four territories that have been incorporated as a part of Russia according to their constitution.

AFP/POOL/VALERY SHARIFULIN

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meet at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, Belarus, May 24, 2024.

In a press conference on Friday in Belarus, Putin said that peace talks should be resumed. "Let it continue. Negotiations should be based on the reality on the ground and the agreed-upon plans during the first few weeks of the war negotiations, not based on the desire of one party," he said.

Putin also stated that Zelenskyy has no legitimacy in power because his term has ended. This will create legal obstacles if Russia and Ukraine want to hold peace negotiations. "With whom (are we) negotiating? That is not an empty question. Of course, we realize that the current leader's legitimacy has already ended," he said.

Putin will say that we have won, that NATO attacked us and we defended our sovereignty, and that we have a land corridor to Crimea.

Ukraine is still in a state of emergency three years after Russia's invasion. There have been no general elections even though Zelenskyy's five-year term ended this week. According to Kyiv and the West, it is the right decision during the war.

Ukrainian officials have dismissed the notion that Zelenskyy had no legitimacy during the war. The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, stated that anyone who questions the president's validity is an "enemy of Ukraine" who spreads disinformation.

AFP PHOTO/HO/UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits a printing press destroyed by Russian forces in Kharkiv, May 24, 2024.

The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, also stated that Putin actually has no desire to end the war. "Putin currently does not want to stop his aggression against Ukraine. Only principles and the global majority's voice can compel him to choose peace over war," he said.

Prolonged

This is evident in the appointment of economist Andrei Belousov as the Minister of Defense of Russia. According to Western military and political analysts, the appointment places Russia's economy in a permanent footing to win protracted conflicts. The appointment is also followed by continuous pressure on the battlefield and the progress of the Russian forces in claiming Ukrainian territories in recent weeks.

However, the five sources in Russia said that Putin prefers to use the current momentum to forget about war. Responding to a comment request from Reuters on the matter, Peskov said that Russia did not want "eternal war".

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The largest conflict in Europe post-World War II has cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides and triggered increasing sanctions from the West on the Russian economy. Three sources said Putin understood that new achievements on the battlefield would require national mobilization that he did not want.

AP PHOTO/EVGENIY MALOLETKA

Foreign journalists photograph from an observation point as smoke rises after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, May 17, 2024.

The mobilization of troops has made some Russian citizens worried, causing hundreds of thousands of people who are obligated to serve in the military to flee the country. Peskov stated that Russia does not need further mobilization and chooses to recruit contracted volunteers to fill the ranks of the armed forces.

With such conditions, currently, the prospects for ceasefire negotiations, even peace talks, seem very distant. Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that peace negotiations cannot begin while Putin is in power. Meanwhile, sources in Russia also predict that a peace agreement will not be reached while Zelenskyy is in power.

Also read: Ukraine Faces “Great Difficulties” on the Front Line

Without the possibility of a ceasefire in the near future, Putin plans to take as much territory from Ukraine as possible to pressure Kyiv. Putin is taking advantage of the much larger Russian population compared to Ukraine to strengthen his forces. He will slowly conquer Ukrainian territory until Zelenskyy comes up with an offer to stop the war. "Russia will press on further," said one source.

An effort for peace will be revived in June through a high-level conference in Switzerland. However, the meeting initiated by Zelenskyy will not be attended by Putin. Ukraine and Switzerland want to invite Russia's allies, including China. Moscow has stated that any talks will not be credible without their presence.

AP PHOTO/EFREM LUKATSKY

Veterans and citizens laid flower wreaths to commemorate Ukrainian soldiers who died in the war against Russia in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 23, 2024.

The United States Department of State has stated that any peace initiative must respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine, with internationally recognized borders. Western leaders have declared their commitment to stand with Ukraine until its security and sovereignty are guaranteed.

"Russia can end the war anytime by withdrawing its troops from Ukraine, instead of constantly attacking cities, ports, and Ukrainian civilians every day," says the US Department of State. (REUTERS)