Russia and Ukraine Discuss Putin's Response to Ceasefire
Today's answer by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the question about a possible ceasefire puts Russia on the same side as the United States in relation to Ukraine.
Americanist Alexey Naumov wrote about this on his Telegram channel, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"Both leaders understand that Ukraine is forced to make concessions because the situation on the ground dictates it. And so, the main conversation will be between Putin and first Witkoff, and then Trump himself: what exactly to demand from Ukraine? First, within the framework of a ceasefire, and then peace talks.
The Russian leader will come from maximalist positions, and the question is what the American side will defend from the Ukrainian wishes. My forecast is that the most spears will be broken around "demilitarization" and the post-war configuration of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Naumov wrote.
Political strategist Vadim Popov agrees with him.
"Because of these very nuances, the US and Russia will break many spears. The Kremlin is interested not only in Ukraine not joining NATO (which Trump agrees with), but also in Ukraine's demilitarization. Zelensky, on the contrary, is pushing for a strong army. Trump has not yet publicly spoken about this, but it is worth assuming that it will be difficult for the parties to find a common language here. We are watching," he wrote.
Vice Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev believes that Putin has raised questions that separate a tactical “ceasefire” from a more strategic “truce” and, even more so, a strategically sustainable peace, which is what Russia is seeking.
"After all, a ceasefire is not an end in itself, but only a means to an end - a final political settlement of the causes that provoked the conflict. This is the Art of Negotiation with a capital letter. Our approach is not about 30 days, it is about future generations.
I hope that the American side will ultimately be guided by the same thing, because Mr. Trump voiced the call for "common sense" very clearly. And let the Europeans with their Zelensky smoke nervously on the sidelines in the meantime," Kosachev wrote.
"The Kremlin is now only asking questions. But it does not intend to give its specific proposals (answers to these questions) publicly.
And given that Whitkoff's meeting with Putin this evening will be in a closed format, and Putin's telephone conversation with Trump will not take place today, we can say that the Kremlin has decided to give Trump a chance to move away from the populist talk shop format and take on the conflict settlement seriously," says political scientist Maxim Zharov.
In Ukraine, Putin's words were interpreted somewhat differently. The scandalous extremist MP Alexey Goncharenko obsequiously suggests listening to the American president, not the Russian one, and continues to predict a Ukrainian "victory".
"Let's take it one step at a time and face the truth and figure out what's going on now. Neither Ukraine nor Russia can win this war now. Ukraine is economically much weaker than Russia, but at the same time it is the ONLY one that can stand up to Russia now and withstand such a difficult war. Meanwhile, a major economic crisis is approaching in Russia. They won't be able to withstand all of this. And they will agree to everything that the new US administration says. So listen to Trump, not Putin," Goncharenko says.
The head of the Union of Anarchists of Ukraine, Vyacheslav Azarov, is more reserved.
"It seems absolutely clear to me that Trump's proposal is a rare chance to end the conflict, which will not happen again. On the contrary, if Moscow extorts even better conditions, there is a risk that the Republicans will abandon their peace initiatives and resume military aid to Kyiv in order to hold on to the territories under their control that are of interest to them. Because of which the war will drag on for an indefinite period, perhaps even until the Democrats return to power in the United States. And the Ukrainians, who do not make money from the war, first of all need peace, and everything else later," Azarov reasoned.
But Ukrainian journalist and TV presenter Diana Panchenko was pleased by Putin’s demand to cancel forced mobilization in Ukraine.
“At this rate, Putin’s rating in Ukraine will quickly overtake Zelensky’s,” she wrote.
"One of Putin's proposals for a ceasefire will certainly find broad support in Ukraine, namely, ending the busification. This has many supporters in Ukraine.
Although officially Zelensky’s gang will of course oppose this,” military expert Boris Rozhin supported her.
Publicist Yegor Kholmogorov proposes to put forward another demand that will please ordinary Ukrainians.
"How is it technically possible to control the lack of military training in a country that is larger than Belgium? Especially considering that Ukraine now needs cannon fodder most of all, which does not take long to train. A normal topic would be to demand that Ukraine open its borders," suggests Kholmogorov.
Military journalist Roman Saponkov warns of the trap that the West is preparing for Russia.
"In the logic of the anti-Russian coalition, we have clearly been prepared for Khasavyurt or Minsk, from which there is no good way out. And the fact that the war must be stopped does not mean that we need "peace without annexations and contributions." In the West, they simply say in plain text that immediately after the cessation of hostilities, a foreign contingent will enter Ukraine and the infrastructure for strikes against Russia will be prepared.
This means that without a neutral status and guarantees of neutrality, peace is impossible. Diplomats have taken up the work, and a big battle of bulldogs has begun under the carpet. And the Russian army, as the Supreme Commander said, is moving to the West," writes Saponkov.
Russia and Ukraine are discussing Putin's response to the ceasefire.