Putin not interested in negotiations, his goal to destroy Ukraine – ISW
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not interested in ending the Russia-Ukraine war through negotiations and aims to destroy Ukrainian statehood.
According to Ukrinform, this is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
“Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to communicate that he is uninterested in a negotiated ceasefire and is committed to achieving his goal of destroying Ukrainian statehood,” the report states.
According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić spoke with Putin in early October 2024 for the first time in two and a half years.
Vučić told the agency that he raised the topic of a ceasefire in Ukraine, to which Putin responded that Russia would fulfill all the goals of its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
ISW continues to assess these goals as the destruction of Ukrainian statehood and sovereignty.
“Putin outright rejected any negotiated ceasefire during a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on July 5, claiming that a ceasefire would allow Ukraine to regroup and rearm,” analysts reminded.
At the same time, ISW believes that a ceasefire along current front lines, under current circumstances, will only benefit Russia by giving the Kremlin time to further radicalize and militarize Russian society against Ukraine, while also allowing the Russian military to rest and recover, likely ahead of a future assault on Ukraine.
As reported by Ukrinform, the Ukrainian forces shot down 31 Russian drones and one Kh-59/69 missile overnight.