Peace talks are illusion, Putin pins hopes on summer military campaign — political expert

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“There are no negotiations, there is an illusion. In this case, we can say clearly that after the last talks in Riyadh, it became clear that Putin isn’t planning any real negotiation steps, like signing a temporary ceasefire. He wants to continue the fighting and sees this summer campaign as his last Wunderwaffe to break the front and Ukraine. But nothing of the sort will happen,” the political expert emphasized.

According to him, this situation reflects the psychology — or perhaps even the psychiatry — of a specific individual: Putin sincerely believes he can carry out a “Kyiv in three days 2.0” operation this summer, though it remains unclear what this belief is grounded in or who might be encouraging it.

“I’ll say it again — nothing of the sort will happen. Unfortunately, there’s no point in hoping for real peace talks or an actual ceasefire before October or November. As of now, the chances of any truce are very low. Despite all of Trump’s statements that he understands everything and is very angry, we must understand that, at this point, Vladimir Putin will not enter any negotiation process. He believes the U.S. won’t impose catastrophic sanctions, so he will be ready to return to talks only after the results of the summer military campaign,” Vadym Denysenko concluded.

• On April 1, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump is disappointed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
• On the same day, Fox News reported that U.S. President Donald Trump is disappointed with the actions of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and believes that he is stalling for time in negotiating a full ceasefire in Ukraine.
• On April 2, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg stated that the U.S. aims to achieve a full ceasefire, adding that neither side will get everything it wants.
• On April 4, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Ukraine is ready for peace, and soon the U.S. will determine whether Russia is also willing to pursue peace. If Russia continues to stall talks, the U.S. stance may shift.