Putin's words: what he really means and what he says

Putin's words: what he really means and what he says

There is often a gap between what Russia's President Wladimir Putin thinks. When asked about the proposal supported by the USA for a 30--daily fuel arrest In Ukraine A press conference on Thursday a long and confused answer. Some of his sentences were made for the cameras and sounded very advantageous from the context for the plan of the Trump administration, which Ukraine has already agreed.

Putin's surprising promise and reality

In his answer, Putin first explained: "We agree with the proposal" - a quote that made headlines worldwide. But he made it clear that Moscow is not ready to agree on an actual agreement soon.

In his complete answer, Putin turned the idea - he demanded concessions from Kiev, asked numerous questions and repeated the maximum demands that Russia has represented since the beginning of his extensive invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Trump positively commented on Putin's reaction and said in optimistic tones that it was "promising ... but not yet complete".

Russia's tactics and the role of NATO

A closer look at Putin's statements makes it clear that Russia has been moving time in its longstanding positions persist. "We agree with the proposal to end the hostility, but we have to keep in mind that this ceasefire should aim at long -term peace and that the causes of the crisis have to be viewed," said Putin.

It is not the first time that Putin is urging the points known by him as the "causes" of the war. The Kremlin previously claimed that the currently democratically elected Ukrainian government was part of these causes.

Putin's view of Ukraine and its demands

One of the reasons the Kremlin leads to the war is that the election of President Wolodymyr Selenskyj is illegitimate. Instead, Putin wishes a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine. In the past few weeks, Trump has respected the claims of the Kremlin to replace Selenskyj, and even claims that the Ukrainian president is a dictator.

The "causes" also refer to the Kremlin claims that Russia feels threatened by the NATO east expansion after the Cold War. This reflects Putin's wish that the military alliance with former communist states, which were part of the Soviet sphere of influence, such as Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic.

Putin has repeatedly used NATO as an excuse for his invasion in Ukraine and demands that Kiev are denied NATO membership and accepts permanent neutrality.

questions about a potential ceasefire

"For Putin, the 'cause' of the conflict is the wish of Ukraine to be an independent country and to be able to choose their own way in internal and foreign policy," says Brian Taylor, professor of political science at Syracuse University. He also asked various questions about the details of a possible ceasefire that required precise clarification from the Ukrainian authorities.

"Who will give the commands to end hostilities and what will the price be? Who will determine who and how violated the ceasefire? And who will be accused of injury later?" Putin noted. These questions illustrate his opposition to European proposals to station peace troops in Ukraine in the event of an agreement. The Kremlin has already explained that a presence of NATO troops in Ukraine would also be unacceptable under national flags.

Putin's strategic delay

Putin's indication of "laborious research from both sides" suggests that he wants to delay the negotiations for a long time. His delay could be a tactic to gain time for Russia's progress in the Kursk region, where Ukraine still holds area shares. Russian troops have made quick progress this week to to recapture one of the few pressure tools in the course the peace talks could remove.