Putin demands capitulation, rejects ceasefire negotiations

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) point out that Vladimir Putin is rejecting all negotiation possibilities and is now openly demanding Ukraine's actual capitulation. He claims that all Ukrainian governing institutions are illegal.

Many of the information provided by Russian media or government officials are elements of propaganda. Such reports are part of the information warfare conducted by the Russian Federation.

At a press conference in Astana, Putin firmly rejected Russia’s involvement in any significant negotiations on a ceasefire agreement, instead demanding Ukraine's "irreversible demilitarization" as a precondition for a ceasefire.

Analysts note that in this way, Putin is demanding Ukraine's actual capitulation in exchange for a ceasefire.

Putin called all Ukrainian authorities unfit for negotiations and rejected the idea of third-party involvement in the talks. Instead, he emphasized his demand directed at Ukraine for a ceasefire.

Putin argued that Russia cannot agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine because it does not know how Kyiv would react or what steps it would take in this situation. According to the Russian leader, Ukrainians could use the truce to rebuild their army, so appropriate agreements specifying "irreversible" actions are necessary.

Additionally, Putin presented the demand for the "demilitarization" of Ukraine as the primary condition for a ceasefire agreement. ISW assesses that Russia's goal is to rebuild and expand its forces to destroy the Ukrainian state.

Putin also revealed that Russia has started research and development on new intermediate-range missiles and is ready to begin production. However, Russia will not deploy them in Europe unless the United States does so. According to the Russian dictator, Moscow will only take "mirror" actions in response to Washington's actions and not act first.

Let us recall that the last negotiation talks took place in Istanbul in 2022. The conclusions were called the "Istanbul agreement," although the arrangements never came into effect.