Putin's claim about 5-year war is attempt to intimidate West, Ukrainians - expert Stupak

He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

"Let's analyze this thesis. When, for example, two boxers meet, they weigh in and then start looking at each other and each wants to convince the other that he is stronger, they threaten each other. I also see this statement as a threat to the Western world, so that, first of all, the Western world would be horrified: how can we give Ukraine five more years, but no, we cannot stand to give Ukraine so much. Secondly, to the domestic population of Ukraine: five more years, or however long it is, until 2027, no, no, let's stop," the expert explains.

According to Stupak, this is an attempt to scare the world, while the situation in Russia proves the opposite. "Look, the Russian economy is cracking, of course, not at the pace we would like, not on the scale of Ukraine's. Look at civil aviation, in one month they had more air accidents than in the whole of last year, and in 2024 we can already expect civilian aircraft to crash because of sanctions. We see Russian oil coming to a standstill, with six tankers near India with Russian oil that cannot enter because of sanctions. Dubai has banned Russians from opening accounts in local dirhams to make payments in Indian rupees. That is, they still have the opportunity to fight, to attack, but to say that they are doing well, they are just burning bamboo and have a lot of money - Moscow, St. Petersburg, maybe, but the rest of it is really very, very difficult," added the 2004-2015 SBU officer.

What preceded it

Back in March, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin warned Chinese leader Xi Jinping that Russia's war against Ukraine could last five years, but this became known only in late December.

According to the NikkeiAsia, this could have affected relations between Russia and China, which, in particular, was reflected in the Chinese peacekeeping mission to Europe and the Chinese Foreign Minister's dismissal. Given Putin's statement, reports of his alleged openness to a truce and negotiations should not be taken as true. He probably just wants to create an illusion on the presidential election eve, believing that this will help him.