Vladimir Putin has set his conditions for Donald Trump’s ‘unconditional’ ceasefire: Kyiv must not mobilise or train troops, nor receive military aid, then Ukraine must ultimately accept a final peace deal that eliminates the ‘root causes’ of the conflict – i.e., which erases Ukraine’s sovereignty. The Kremlin’s terms remain the same as they were three years ago: Ukrainians must cede four partially occupied regions to Russia. He also wants Kyiv to dismantle its independent government and surrender the right to choose its alliances.
Putin has no reason to end the bloodshed until his imperialistic terms are met. His troops are rapidly advancing in the Kursk region. He favours war because it leaves his regime unchallenged: Russians don’t need to worry about oligarchy, poverty and persecutions while coffins keep arriving from the front. But 700,000 Russians are dead and wounded and Putin still hasn’t achieved his goals in Ukraine.
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