Russia is using grievances to West to pressure Ukraine into negotiations

This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

“The Kremlin will likely continue to focus its grievances against the West and ignore Ukraine as a sovereign entity in support of ongoing information operations that seek to compel the West to offer preemptive concessions and pressure Ukraine to negotiate,” ISW experts believe.

Russia is trying to create an image of Ukraine as a "Western pawn" that has no real sovereignty. Thus, the Russian leadership seeks to eliminate the Ukrainian representation at the upcoming negotiations in order to conduct a dialogue with Western officials instead. 

According to ISW, Russia regularly expresses its grievances to the West regarding the war in Ukraine, so the Kremlin exploits the desire of Western officials to start negotiations. Russia does this to "to capitalize on the Western desire for negotiations and create a dynamic in which Western officials feel pressed to make preemptive concessions to lure Russia to the negotiating table."

Russia will continue to portray Ukrainian officials as the ones who want to prolong the war and will continue to reiterate its military objectives. Thus, the Kremlin seeks to force Ukraine to negotiate on terms that are more favorable for Russia.

• On December 22, the G7 foreign ministers discussed Ukraine's peace proposals voiced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy; US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "these are things that everyone should support.”