Putin aims to force Ukraine’s surrender, warns General Malomuzh

He shared this view on Espreso.

"Putin's strategy is to make Ukraine capitulate. That means pushing for concessions and getting Ukraine to accept Russia’s terms. The Russians want to capture at least five regions and then keep going. Putin has no arguments in talks. Trump often talks about Ukraine’s "trump cards", but in this case, it’s Putin who has no cards to play. He targets Ukraine’s civilian population, and his troops are trying to move forward on several fronts. They’re shifting forces and getting ready for attacks in different directions — Kharkiv region, Sumy region, and the Lyman direction in Donetsk region," Malomuzh said.

The general pointed out that Russia lacks the resources to carry out major offensives.

"The Russians are clearly getting ready to expand their offensive in order to force Ukraine into a deal. But it's important to understand — the enemy doesn't have the capacity for such a move. For an offensive on that scale, they’d need at least a million troops. Russia doesn’t have that right now," he added.

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul

In his nighttime address on May 11, Vladimir Putin announced his readiness for direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey, while rejecting the idea of a 30-day ceasefire.

On May 12, the German government stated that if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners would begin preparing new sanctions. In response, the Kremlin declared ultimatums against Russia unacceptable.

Advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that on May 15 in Turkey, Volodymyr Zelenskyy would meet only with Vladimir Putin, not with any other Russian representative. Later, President Zelenskyy confirmed his personal visit to Turkey for talks with Putin.

On the evening of May 14, Russia announced the composition of its delegation for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, headed by Putin’s aide Medinsky.

Russian leader’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Vladimir Putin would not participate in the talks. Ultimately, Putin did not attend the negotiations, and Zelenskyy, after meeting with Erdogan in Ankara, flew to Albania.

On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the U.S., and Turkey took place in Istanbul, followed by talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the sides discussed a prisoner exchange based on a “1000 for 1000” formula, a ceasefire, and the possibility of a meeting between Presidents Zelenskyy and Putin.