Ending Ukraine war may embolden Russian military threats against EU nations — analyst

He said this on the Espreso TV channel.

"The Russian economy is now on a war footing. In the country, tens of millions of people live by the principle: "We haven't lived well - and there's no need to start." They exist in the paradigm of a "great victory," which they are constantly brainwashed with. And this is a very noticeable factor for modern Russia," Mahda noted.

The Executive Director of the Institute of World Policy recalled that European Commissioner Mr. Kubilius noted that the suspension of the war in Ukraine would immediately increase the risk of war between Russia and the EU.

"I would say - the risk of a powerful military provocation by the Russian Federation. Now the Kremlin has a great temptation to carry out a military action - through a missile strike or the seizure of the territory of an EU member state in order to drive a wedge between Europe and the United States.

I assume that the United States under President Trump, in the face of aggressive behavior by Russia towards European countries, may take the position: "We are only watching for now." And then the question of the effectiveness of the Washington Treaty will arise - in fact, it will hang in the air," added Mahda.

• During his nightly address on May 11, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that he was allegedly ready for direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side in Turkey as early as next week. At the same time, he ignored the idea of a 30-day ceasefire. In response, American leader Donald Trump said that he would continue to work with both sides, and the coming week would be "big."
• On May 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he would wait "personally" for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on May 15 in Turkey.
• People's Deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Oleksandr Merezhko believes that Putin will not come to Istanbul, but there are several possible scenarios for the development of events.
• The head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, Petro Andriushchenko, noted that there are currently no prerequisites for negotiations.