Putin dismisses Trump's offers, banks on battlefield gains
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 concessions proposed by Trump are not sufficient, considering Russia's goals. A few days ago, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance declared that Russia and Ukraine would have to exchange territories to end the war.
Meanwhile, Putin, continues the NYT, is convinced that he has an advantage in negotiations and wants to continue talks with Trump. Moscow is counting on cooperation with the U.S. 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 Wednesday to Thursday, Russians carried out a massive attack on Ukraine, resulting in the death of nine people and injuring over 70. Donald Trump urged Vladimir Putin to enter into a peace agreement and criticized the dictator for the massive attack on Kyiv.
Putin prefers to attack rather than talk. Experts have no illusions
According to the newspaper, Russian experts and people close to the Kremlin emphasize that Putin's calculation is simple. The President is convinced that he can gain more on the battlefield than by accepting the agreement proposed by Trump. The President believes that even a temporary truce would mean losing negotiation leverage; therefore, agreeing to a ceasefire would only make sense after receiving significant 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.
