ISW: Putin believes in achieving goals on the battlefield and is not prepared to enter negotiations in good faith

The head of the aggressor country Russia, Vladimir Putin, still believes that he can achieve his goals in the war against Ukraine. Therefore, any negotiations that provide for a ceasefire are out of the question.

This was pointed out by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its November 4 report. The analysts reacted to an NBC article that the United States and the European Union had allegedly begun discussing possible negotiations with Russia.

However, according to the NBC article, US officials have no evidence or even signs that Putin is ready to negotiate with Ukraine or doubts that Russia will be able to continue the war until Western aid to the Ukrainian armed forces stops.

The ISW noted that they also did not see any signs that Moscow was ready to start peace talks with Kyiv in good faith.

On November 2, the Russian dictator's spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed the Kremlin's disagreement with the characterization of the war against Ukraine as a "stalemate," saying that it "has not reached a dead end." He argued that the Russian occupation forces were still conducting offensive operations.

According to the Institute's analysts, the attacks of Russian troops around Avdiivka also indicate that the Kremlin continues to believe in the possibility of achieving its goals through military force and is unlikely to enter into peace negotiations. The aggressor simply needs to buy time to prepare for future offensive operations.

"Pressure on Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war is likely to remain pointless, if not harmful, as long as Putin believes he can achieve his goals on the battlefield," ISW stated.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine can not be called a stalemate. He recalled the predictions about the war that were voiced at the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Russian troops in February 2022.

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