Kremlin to set Trump its terms for ending war - Russian opposition expert

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"Putin has shown that he plays slowly and carefully, and certainly expects reactions to his actions. The launch of this missile also shows that the Kremlin knows very well that discussions will start about the missile, which can be equipped with a nuclear warhead, unlike other types of missiles. This is a demonstration of a nuclear threat in a very preliminary and clear form. All of this will be discussed, and the Kremlin is counting on it," noted political analyst Alexander Morozov.

In his opinion, there will be a period of turbulence before Trump's inauguration, during which the Kremlin will demonstrate its hard stance with attacks on Ukraine using the weapons it has. The concept from last winter will continue, including strikes on energy infrastructure and Ukrainian ports. Moreover, Putin is firmly convinced that his General Staff and Ministry of Defense should show further progress on the front.

"Since it is beneficial for the Kremlin to clearly demonstrate before Trump's inauguration that the four-point ultimatum Putin put forward in June 2024 should be the subject of negotiations, and not some other scheme. So, it is clear that the Kremlin will set the framework for Trump regarding consultations on ending the war," concluded Alexander Morozov.

• Ukraine views a Donald Trump victory in the U.S. presidential election as an opportunity to speed the peace process with a "peace through strength" approach.
• Russia's ex-president, Dmitry Medvedev, believes that newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump could influence the end of the war in Ukraine.