Putin's intimidation works if Europe fails on sanctions, analyst warns

Political scientist Viktor Shlinchak stated this on the Espreso TV channel.

"European politicians have no other scenario than to implement what they have declared. If they do not implement stronger sanctions, it will mean that Putin is right, that the value of European politicians' word is zero, that they can only be spoken to with elements of force, and that Putin's intimidation is working," he noted.

The political scientist also commented on possible negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey.

"I do not rule out that in a few hours we will have some speech from Putin about how he has once again exposed something - some conspiracy or something else. Therefore, he will not be able to fly to Turkey and participate in a meeting with Zelenskyy. And, moreover, something will again prevent him from starting this thirty-day ceasefire," added Shlinchak.

In his opinion, this is purely a technological game.

"Everyone understands perfectly well that Putin wants to conduct a summer offensive campaign, and he has been preparing for it for the last three to four months. Obviously, a new window of opportunity for a potential dialogue with the Russian Federation may come no earlier than autumn. But everyone is playing an interesting game - everyone wants to show that they are for peace and demonstrate that they are more for peace than the opponent," the political scientist summarized.

• During his nightly address on May 11, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that he was allegedly ready for direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side in Turkey as early as next week. At the same time, he ignored the idea of a 30-day ceasefire. In response, U.S. leader Donald Trump stated that he would continue to work with both sides, and that the coming week would be "big."
• On May 12, the German government stated that if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners will launch the process of preparing new sanctions. In response, the Kremlin said that "the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia."
• On the same day, Trump stated that he may be personally present in Istanbul on May 15. Zelenskyy welcomed the decision.