Putin's real agenda in negotiations isn't about territory — analyst

Political analyst Vadym Denysenko stated this on Espreso TV.

"Judging by everything, we won't see any significant progress in the negotiations. It's important to understand the fundamental difference in approach between the U.S. and Russia. The Americans still believe that the main topic of these negotiations is territory and the possible conquest of all of Ukraine. By the way, most of our experts think the same. In reality, this is important to Putin, but definitely not the most important thing. For him, the most important thing is to return to major geopolitics and the lifting of sanctions on Russia. He is essentially bargaining in these negotiations not so much about territory, but about how he will be perceived in future geopolitical arrangements around the world. This is where all these scare tactics about Russia preparing for war against Europe come from," Denysenko explained.

The political analyst noted that despite the deteriorating living conditions of ordinary people in Russia, there are no signs of revolutionary movements in Russia.

"Russian society is not ready for a major war with Europe, they don't want it, but they have nowhere to go. That is, by and large, a revolutionary situation has not developed in Russia today. We can talk about a sharp deterioration in the life of the average Russian, which is indirectly confirmed by Putin's hotline, when last Friday he devoted a lot of time to social issues," he added.

• On Friday, December 19, another round of consultations between the Ukrainian delegation and the American side began in the United States.