Russia

After Putin's demands – "means war for another 20 months"

Johan Edgar

Published 00.05

 

Vladimir Putin dashes all hopes of a Russian compromise in possible peace negotiations with Ukraine. Photo: AP

August 2027.

Then the war could end according to a new analysis of the situation.

- We will end the war when we achieve the goals, says Putin after talks on the peace plan.

It is a major public blow to attempts to create peace in Ukraine.

After the original 28-point peace plan was revised in negotiations between the US and Ukraine in Geneva, Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff has gone on tour.

On Tuesday, he and Jared Kushner met with Putin for five hours in the Kremlin in Moscow.

 

Putin opposite Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin meeting room. Photo: Alexander Kazakov / AP

Putin: Demands the whole of Donbass

Despite a friendly exchange between the two men, not much concrete was achieved.

On Thursday evening, Witkoff met with Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian Security Council, in Miami.

At the same time, Putin has given a lengthy interview with India Today ahead of his state visit to India.

In it, he dashes all hopes of a Russian compromise in possible peace negotiations with Ukraine.

He says in the interview that "Russia will liberate the whole of Donbass, either militarily or Ukrainian soldiers will leave those areas".

Putin was asked what needs to happen for him to see it as a Russian victory in the war.

 

A Russian rocket is fired somewhere in Ukraine. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Via AP

May take 20 months

– We will end it when we achieve the goals that we set at the beginning of the special military operation, when we have liberated those territories. That is all, the Russian president replies.

He also says that Russia rejects parts of the latest version of the US peace plan and describes the negotiations as “a complicated task”.

The Ukrainian president has said that it is out of the question to agree to hand over areas that Russia does not already occupy in a peace settlement.

Thus, the positions seem to be locked – despite the attempts at talks.

The think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which publishes daily analyses of the state of the war, states in an analysis that at the current pace of the Russian advance, it would take the country until August 2027 – that is, another 20 months – to take the entire Donbass, writes CNN.

Leaked conversations

In the deadlock, signals are now coming from European leaders that they do not trust the White House in the talks.

This is shown by leaked information to the Cerman Der Spiegel from a conversation at the highest level on Monday.

 

Macron has warned Zelenskyj of an American betrayal, according to sources. Photo: Ludovic Marin/AP/Archive

In the conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj – which also included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte – French President Emmanuel Macron says that “there is a possibility that the United States will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without providing clarity on security guarantees”.

Merz advises Zelenskyj to be “extremely cautious in the coming days” and says that “they are playing games, both with you and with us”.

 

Donald Trump says “it takes two to tango” after talks in Moscow. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP

“Can’t be left alone”

The latter comment is believed to be referring to Witkoff and Kushner.

Stubb agrees with Merz during the call:

“We can’t leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with those guys.”

Donald Trump says his envoy’s talks with Putin in Moscow went “relatively well.”

He says the Russian president wants to make a deal, but that “it takes two to tango.”

 

Augusti 2027.

Putin: Kräver hela Donbass

Trots en småputtrig vänlighet männen emellan kom man inte fram till så mycket konkret.

Under torsdagskvällen sitter Witkoff i möte med Rustem Umerov, ledare för det ukrainska säkerhetsrådet, i Miami.

Samtidigt har Putin inför sitt statsbesök i Indien gjort en längre intervju med India Today.

Där slår han ner på alla förhoppningar om en rysk kompromiss i möjliga fredsförhandlingar med Ukraina.

Han säger i intervjun att ”Ryssland kommer befria hela Donbass, antingen militärt eller så lämnar ukrainska soldater de områdena”.

Putin fick frågan om vad som behöver hända för att han ska se det som en rysk seger i kriget.

En rysk raket avfyras någonstans i Ukraina. Foto: Russian Defense Ministry Via AP

Kan ta 20 månader

– Vi avslutar det när vi uppnått målen som vi satte i början av den speciella militära operationen, när vi har befriat de territorierna. Det är allt, svarar den ryske presidenten.

Han säger också att Ryssland avfärdar delar av den senaste versionen av den amerikanska fredsplanen och beskriver förhandlingarna som ”ett komplicerat arbete”.