Kremlin pushes the West to get Ukraine to negotiate
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) analysts believe that the Kremlin is reviving its information campaign "to coerce the West into forcing Ukraine to accept concessions and negotiate on terms favorable to Russia".
Source: ISW report from 26 May 2023
Details: On May 26, the Kremlin claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed "the openness of the Russian side to dialogue on the political and diplomatic track, which is still blocked by Kyiv and its Western sponsors" in a phone call with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Quote from the ISW: "Putin’s statement does not indicate that Russia is interested in pursuing negotiations with Ukraine, and the Kremlin has not established any serious grounds for negotiations nor abandoned its maximalist goals to force the Ukrainian government to capitulate.
The Kremlin is likely attempting to intensify its false claims about its readiness to negotiate with Ukraine amidst the arrival of the Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui in Moscow on May 26 to discuss a negotiated settlement to Russia’s war in Ukraine."
Details: The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Li had previously called on European officials to facilitate a ceasefire in Ukraine by recognising occupied territories of Ukraine as Russian. According to the WSJ, the diplomat told Li that freezing the conflict was not in the interest of the international community, and that Europe will keep supporting Ukraine. According to the WSJ, another diplomat said that China’s main priority is to ensure Russia wins the war but does not deploy nuclear weapons.
"The claimed interaction likely indicates that China may be attempting to push the West to influence Ukraine into accepting a ceasefire.
The Kremlin is likely amplifying its false interests in negotiations ahead of the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive in order to discourage continued Western aid to Ukraine," the ISW wrote.
ISW has previously reported on Russia’s peace negotiation information operations to deter Western support for Ukraine.
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