Putin is confident of his victory in talks with Trump, - Bloomberg
Russian dictator Putin enters his talks with US President Donald Trump, scheduled for Monday 19 May, with a sense of strength, while European leaders are trying to prevent a possible hasty compromise on the part of the US.
According to Censor.NET, Bloomberg reports.
According to a source familiar with the Kremlin's position, the Russian dictator is confident that by the end of this year, the Russian army will be able to completely seize four regions, breaking down the Ukrainian defence. Therefore, Putin is not in the mood for serious concessions in his dialogue with Trump. In Europe, fears are growing that the US president could persuade Kyiv to make an unfavourable peace.
Trump, who is in favour of ending the war as soon as possible, intends to negotiate with Putin directly. At the same time, the Russian leader has shown no willingness to stop the fighting - on the contrary, his troops are advancing, albeit slowly. This is causing concern both in Kyiv and in European capitals: the risk of losing new Ukrainian territories is growing. As Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, noted at a conference in Tallinn, "at this stage, the Kremlin sees no good reason to agree to a ceasefire."
Moreover, despite the fact that US initiatives to end hostilities seem to be reaching a peak point, Europe is not sure whether Trump will put pressure on Moscow or abandon the idea if it fails. The president assured that after his conversation with Putin, he would immediately inform Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO partners of the results.
Despite his claims of peace, Putin is ready for a protracted confrontation if it allows him to achieve his strategic goals, according to two sources close to the Kremlin. According to Sergei Markov, a political analyst with ties to the Russian government, Putin is not seeking to disrupt the talks, but is trying to continue the dialogue amid military pressure.
On Friday, the chancellors of Germany, France and the United Kingdom - Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer - held a joint conversation with Trump in an attempt to convince him not to fall into the Kremlin's trap. One European official noted that the leaders were trying to prevent the US from imposing an unfavourable deal on Ukraine. Zelenskyy was also on the call, and according to the source, he appeared exhausted from the week's events.
The European partners expected that if Russia refused to abandon the ceasefire, the Trump administration would impose new sanctions. However, this did not happen, which only increased concerns in Kyiv. According to Prism analyst Bota Iliyas, Putin does not currently trust Trump, but is trying to persuade him to accept the Russian ceasefire scenario.
Western assessments of Russia's chances on the battlefield differ significantly from the Kremlin's vision. According to Ben Barry, an expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Moscow has suffered significant losses and is unlikely to be able to realise its ambitions by the end of the year. He stressed that only a complete collapse of Ukrainian defence could change the situation, but this scenario is unlikely at the moment.
According to a source from the Russian Ministry of Defence, many in the military share similar doubts about Moscow's capabilities, especially because of Ukraine's effective use of drones, which has significantly complicated Russia's large-scale offensive.
Nevertheless, the first round of face-to-face talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years took place in Istanbul. The Kremlin delegation reiterated its demand for the full withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the territories of four regions that Russia considers its own, although it does not fully control them.
The main risk for Putin is to misjudge his own strength and provoke a decisive response from Trump, including new sanctions that are already being prepared. It is known that Trump may invoke his limited powers and not stop the bill proposed by Senator Lindsey Graham.
In an interview with CBS, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that over the past two months, Washington had repeatedly warned Moscow of the possible consequences of a lack of progress. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who played golf with Trump and Graham in March, expressed cautious optimism that the bill would be introduced to Congress next week.
"It depends on how the conversation goes with Putin and Trump on Monday," he said.
After speaking with Trump and European leaders, Macron said that Putin should accept an unconditional ceasefire tomorrow.
