Moscow:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has upped the ante in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Going straight for the head, he has called for Zelensky’s removal as Ukraine’s President and instead, put in place a “transitional administration”.
President Putin has also ordered his armed forces to “finish off” any and all Ukrainian troops as Moscow finds itself in a position of dominance, both on the battlefield as well as the negotiating table.
A rapprochement between Washington and Moscow since Donald Trump’s return to office and the US leader’s threats to stop supporting Kyiv have bolstered President Putin’s confidence more than three years into the war in which tens of thousands have died on both sides.
Russia has, from the beginning of the war, maintained that it is because of Ukraine decision to join NATO and arming itself against Russia, that sparked the war. Moscow blames President Zelensky for such miscalculated geopolitical manoeuvres creating a ever-expanding rift between Russia and Europe.
PUTIN’S TOUGH TALK
Both President Putin and President Zelensky detest each other. Both avoid direct communication, and instead, speak to interlocutors at neutral venues. The US, under President Donald Trump’s leadership is facilitating these talks. Ukraine fears it could be forced to accept a final peace deal on terms that are favourable to Moscow. President Trump has already said publicly that President Zelensky “does not have the cards”.
“We could, of course, discuss with the United States, even with European countries, and of course with our partners and friends, under the auspices of the UN, the possibility of establishing a transitional administration in Ukraine,” President Putin said on the sidelines of an Arctic forum.
“What for? To organise a democratic presidential election that would result in the coming to power of a competent government that would have the confidence of the people, and then begin negotiations with these authorities on a peace agreement and sign legitimate documents,” he said, indirectly calling Zelensky a dictator – something that President Trump has already done in the recent past.
President Putin also ordered his troops to press their advantage on the battlefield and step up their attacks. “I was saying not so long ago: ‘We will finish them off.’ Now there are reasons to believe that we will indeed finish them off,” President Putin said.
“We are gradually, not as fast as some would like, but nevertheless persistently and confidently moving toward achieving all the goals stated at the beginning of the special operation,” he added.
UKRAINE BRACES FOR IMPACT
Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian presidency’s chief of staff, has said, “Russia is trying to derail the path to peace by choosing to continue the war.”
At the same time, President Zelensky rushed to Paris to meet Ukraine’s key European backers in a bid to strike a unified position of support against President Putin’s aggression as well as President Trump’s overhaul of US’ policy on Ukraine, which he claims is leaning towards Moscow.
However, by the end of that meeting in Paris, President Zelensky said he was left with “many more questions” and “very few answers”. The talks were led by France and Britain on a possible European troop deployment as part of any wider ceasefire or peace deal.