according to Financial Times Vladimir Putin has completely lost interest in finding a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine.
Avisa claims to have three sources who have had talks with the Russian president, who says that he is now determined to occupy as much of Ukraine as possible.
They further write that Putin is seriously considering a peace agreement with Ukraine after the Russian army suffered heavy losses in Ukraine in March.
But several specific points have led to the Russian president – according to the British newspaper – making a U-turn.
– Unknown sabotage created chaos
– Humiliation
One is that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Russians of war crimes in Butsja and Mariupol.
The Financial Times also writes that Putin should have been furious after that the Ukrainians sank the Russian warship «Moscow».
– Putin is opposed to signing anything now. He is considering a peace deal, but he must come out of it as a winner. He does not do that after “Moscow” sank, it was humiliating for him, says a source to the Financial Times.
– It was a hard blow and a real humiliation for Russia, supports Arne Bård Dalhaug, former chief of the Defense Staff.
sea view
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Less chance for peace
He believes the chances of achieving peace are much smaller now than a month ago. Dalhaug believes that at the moment there is no basis for peace negotiations.
– Both parties believe it is possible to improve their position through military operations. In addition, the question of whether it has become morally and ethically less easy to hand over areas to Russia after the war crimes we have seen, points out the retired lieutenant general.
– Russia fails
The Financial Times writes that Ukrainian and Western representatives have always been skeptical of Putin during the negotiations, and have suspected that he has used it as a means to buy time during the war.
Celebrities such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, EU President Charles Michel and Russian oligarch Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich have been involved in the negotiations.
According to the Financial Times, the three have tried to persuade Putin to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky in person.
But Putin is said to have been negative about this, saying it was not the right time for a meeting.
– Putin is doing everything he can to avoid this meeting. He wants everything to be decided before they meet in person, says a source to the Financial Times.
sea view
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– Surprisingly little progress
The Russians have shifted their focus away from the capital Kyiv, focusing on the east of Ukraine. They are now trying to gain control of the Donbas region, including the city of Mariupol, where fighting has long been going on and has been a precarious humanitarian situation.
The Financial Times writes that Ukraine is strong in the belief that it can once again fight back Russian attacks. They receive support from Dalhaug, who points out that the Ukrainians have received solid arms support from the West.
– It provides a basis for going more on the offensive, and we see that the Ukrainians do, something I think gives them a hope of winning in Donbass, says Dalhaug.
UD: – Negative for Norway
On the other hand, he is far more critical of the Russian approach.
– The operation has had surprisingly little progress given the large number of forces in Ukraine. Now we know that several of the soldiers who were north of Kyiv have moved, he explains.
Dalhaug is strongly critical of the Russian strategy.
– Several of us who have a background in this believe that the Russians need a much longer break. They have to coordinate what they need before they build up to a larger offensive, but what you see is that they put in smaller forces here and, without much progress, Dalhaug concludes.
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