Russia bets on battlefield gains over Trump's concessions
According to "The New York Times," Russia believes it can gain more through continued military action than by accepting the concessions proposed by Donald Trump. The article highlights that Putin is confident he holds the upper hand in negotiations with the United States.
"Putin Keeps Pummeling Ukraine, Convinced Trump Is on His Side," writes the NYT in the headline.
The newspaper assesses that the scope of concessions proposed by Trump is not sufficient, given Russia's goals. A few days ago, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance declared that Russia and Ukraine would need to exchange territories to end the war.
Meanwhile, Putin, according to "NYT," is convinced of having an advantage in negotiations and wants to continue discussions with Trump. Moscow is hoping for cooperation with the US in energy, the restoration of direct flights, and the lifting of sanctions.
The newspaper assesses that Trump is threatening to walk away from the negotiations, while Putin continues to test his patience.
On the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, Russians carried out a massive attack on Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of 9 people, with over 70 injured. Donald Trump urged Vladimir Putin to pursue a peace agreement and criticized the leader for the severe attack on Kyiv
Putin prefers to attack rather than talk. Experts have no illusions
According to the newspaper, Russian experts and those close to the Kremlin stress that Putin's strategy is straightforward. The President is confident he can gain more on the battlefield than by accepting the agreement proposed by Trump. He believes that even a temporary truce would reduce his negotiation leverage, so agreeing to a ceasefire would only be sensible after receiving substantial concessions from the West and Ukraine.
The "New York Times" summarizes that while the President of Russia does not dismiss the possibility of reaching an agreement to end the war, Trump’s favorable stance toward Putin gives the Russian leader reason to believe he can push his advantage to the fullest.
