'U.S. influence on Russia': military expert on slowdown of Russian advances

He stated this on the Espreso TV channel.

"I do not rule out an external factor, namely US efforts to apply diplomatic and military-economic pressure on Russia to reduce the pace of its troops' advance. Trump has stated that peace talks should begin after the active phase of hostilities ends, not the other way around. This suggests that the U.S. is pressuring Russia to slow down its advance and the active phase of hostilities along the entire front line," Sniehyrov suggested.

According to the military expert, several factors indicate U.S. pressure on Russia, particularly the decrease in the number of attacks compared to November-December of last year.

"I recall that November-December saw the peak activity of the invading Russian forces, as they aimed to seize as much Ukrainian territory in Luhansk and Donetsk regions as possible before Trump's inauguration. Their strategic goal was to push Ukraine’s Defense Forces out of their positions in the Kursk region.

As we can see, the Russian plans have failed. Instead, in February, we are witnessing a sharp decrease in Russian attacks along the entire front line. It would be incorrect to assume that Russia has run out of personnel. Unfortunately, Russia still has the ability to conduct mobilization efforts without officially declaring general or partial mobilization," Sniehyrov emphasized.

The co-chair of Prava Sprava added that Russia's potential mobilization reserve is up to 15 million people.

"Therefore, I emphasize that this is most likely an external factor, particularly U.S. pressure on Russia. If the U.S. manages to halt the active phase of hostilities by the time negotiations begin and Ukraine’s Defense Forces maintain control over key industrial cities in Donetsk region—namely Sloviansk, Kostiantynivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Pokrovsk—it would be a huge victory for the Ukrainian side," Sniehyrov concluded.

• U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that his administration is in communication with both the Russian side and the Ukrainian leadership regarding ending the war.