Despite the beginning of talks with the United States, the Kremlin continues to prosecute maximum targets in the war. These include: the capitalization of Kiev, the change of power in Ukraine, the restoration of Ukrainian statehood on Russian terms and the transformation of the country into the equivalent of modern Belarus entirely dependent on Moscow. The minimum plan assumes the establishment of Russian control over the 4 occupied regions of Ukraine while limiting Kiev's political and military independence.
At present, however, even this second script seems unattainable to Russia: Neither Donetsk, nor Lugansk, nor Kherson, nor Zaporozhes are full controlled by the Russian army. And it is not possible to force Zelenski to give it up voluntarily, admits the Moscow Times.
Thus, in their view, the Kremlin put the 3rd option — to discredit Zelenski in Trump’s eyes.
Its goal now is to get Washington to “put up dense pressure” on Zelenski and force Kiev to carry out presidential elections “ says an authoritative close to the Kremlin. “ Zelenski will not go to territorial concessions. We gotta solve the underlying problem — to make him go away, he says.
Another Russian diplomat adds that the Kremlin leader personally dislikes Zelenski. “He challenged Putin. 1 of our tasks is to guarantee that Ukraine no longer leads. Therefore, we methodically advance the thesis about his deficiency of legitimacy and the request for elections,” he says.
The Kremla hazard Plan
On Friday, Putin demanded the introduction of temporary external governments in Ukraine under the auspices of the UN and the US, so that a "democratic election" could be held there. This message was made on board an atomic submarine called Archangelsk, part of the Russian atomic triad — he wanted to send a appropriate signal to Kiev and the West, says the origin of The Moscow Times.
The Kremlin believes that if the presidential election comes, Zelenski will not be re-elected head of state. So he seeks arguments to convince the United States of the request to change power in Kiev. As long as Zelenski remains in power, Putin will not be ready to compromise in negotiations “ says Russian diplomat in an interview with The Moscow Times. “Every concession now would look like a gift to Zelenski, not Trump. This is unacceptable, he says. According to the sources of The Moscow Times, Putin's surroundings are dominated by “the organization of hawks”.
Former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev He believes Putin acts according to the rule of Machiavelli: take care of yours, give generously what belongs to individual else. “It can “give” Trump Canada and Greenland in exchange for Ukraine and Europe,” says Bondarev.
According to Politologist Gieorgij Bowt, Putin's words about the request to establish an external board in Ukraine show that the Kremlin focuses on the image of Ukraine as a fallen state. “ The UN has not yet established external management in any specified country, ” she has not even tried. And if Ukraine is indeed a fallen state, then even signing with it ceasefire agreements It is pointless, says the expert, betraying Putin’s thinking.
The Kremlin understands that to keep Trump's interest, it must make at least a symbolic gesture. specified an effort was made by the proposal to resume the "grain agreement" on deliveries across the Black Sea, as the U.S. side has made public. But in the end, it didn't work. — For the Ukrainians, this does not substance much — they already deliver grain to the West. In order for the agreement to be beneficial to us, Trump must lead to the abolition of the sanctions imposed on Russia by Europe. And that is highly difficult, if not impossible,” says an anonymous Russian diplomat.
On the another hand Trump told NBC News that he was “very angry” and “angry” on Putin for questioning Zelenski's credibility and calling for a change of leadership in Kiev. “If we miss this moment, Trump will not only lose interest in the deal but may explode,” fears the origin of The Moscow Times close to the Kremlin. “ Then Biden will look like Santa Claus compared to the angry Trump,” he adds.
