Putin’s tough stance on Ukraine peace plan shows resolve on Russia’s demands

Moscow: By making harsh, uncompromising demands in peace talks with Ukraine while continuing to pummel it with waves of missiles and drones, Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending a clear message: He will only accept a settlement on his terms and will keep fighting until they’re met.

At the same time, he has sought to avoid angering US President Donald Trump by praising his diplomacy and declaring Moscow’s openness to peace talks — even as he set maximalist conditions that are rejected by Kyiv and the West.

Trump, who once promised to end the 3-year-old war in 24 hours, has upended the US policy of isolating Russia by holding calls with Putin and denigrating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

At the same time, however, Trump warned Putin against “tapping me along” and threatened Moscow with sanctions if it fails to back his peace proposals.

In recent days, Trump signalled he was losing patience with Putin, declaring the Russian leader had gone “crazy” by stepping up aerial attacks on Ukraine.

He also said: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!” Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president who serves as deputy head of Putin’s Security Council, fired back: “I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!”

Fyodor Lukyanov, a Moscow-based analyst familiar with Kremlin thinking, said Putin is engaged in a “psychological game” with Trump, with both men thinking they understand each other well.

“Putin’s tactics is apparently based on an assumption that the issue has a lesser priority for his interlocutor, who wants to get rid of it one way or another, while for the Russian side, nothing compares to it in importance,” Lukyanov wrote a commentary. “In this logic, the one who sees it as something of lesser importance will eventually make concessions.”

While Ukraine’s European allies urge Trump to ramp up sanctions against Moscow to force it to accept a ceasefire, some fear that Trump may end up distancing the US from the conflict. If the US halts or reduces military aid to Kyiv, it would badly erode Ukraine’s fighting capability.

Kyiv already is experiencing a weapons shortage leaving it increasingly vulnerable to Russian missile and drone attacks.