Putin seeks to capture all of Ukraine, will never accept true peace — U.S. diplomat

American diplomat Kurt Volker, former U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO and State Department Special Representative for Ukraine in 2017–2019, expressed this opinion in an interview with Espreso.

"Putin seeks to seize all of Ukraine: change the government, destroy the military, and subordinate the country to Russian rule. This is absolutely obvious. He will never achieve this, but this is precisely his strategic goal. He will never abandon these intentions and will not accept a peace agreement that does not provide for their achievement. Therefore, I do not believe that Putin will ever agree to a genuine peace agreement. The goal lies elsewhere - for the United States, Ukraine, and European partners to agree on a shared vision of what a just and reasonable peace should be. This makes it possible to clearly demonstrate that it is Putin who rejects peace proposals - something we already understand, but it is important to formalize this in a diplomatic format," he said.

In his opinion, the purpose of the 20-point plan is to preserve Western unity with Ukraine and demonstrate Putin's intransigence.

"Next, in terms of further steps, it is necessary to increase pressure on Russia so that it itself becomes interested in a ceasefire and ending the war. Currently, it does not seek this. This involves strengthening financial pressure - not only through already implemented sanctions on oil and gas, but also through secondary sanctions against those who circumvent Western restrictions, striking the shadow fleet, holding accountable financial institutions that service Russian payments, as well as ensuring stable and predictable financial and military support for Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Putin must realize that this support is sustainable, particularly through the lifting of restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine. Restrictions on long-range use must be lifted. All these measures are needed to increase pressure on Putin so that he is forced to seek a ceasefire. If they are implemented, there are grounds to believe that a ceasefire can be achieved within several months. If not - the process will continue longer. Despite this, the prospect remains, because the fundamental indicators of the Russian economy are deteriorating. Russia does not have unlimited financial and human resources, access to components and technologies, and faces increasingly serious economic difficulties within the country. We can either accelerate this outcome or delay it, but ultimately, a moment will come when Russia will be forced to agree to a cessation of fire," the American diplomat added.