Putin does not want peace before winter, US senator says
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Putin has no interest in ending the fighting before winter because he hopes to ride out the cold and gain more leverage, according to Senator Thom Tillis at a briefing for journalists in Kyiv.
Why Putin does not want peace before winter
Senator says Putin has no interest in slowing the pace of fighting before winter. In Tillis' view, if the Russian president were intellectually honest, he would acknowledge how difficult his position has become.
Tillis said Putin's time was running out, his economy was suffering, and he was heading into an election. He also pointed to the growing pressure on Russia to consider forced mobilization after spending thousands of dollars to encourage volunteers to enlist and recruiting prisoners to send to the battlefield.
All of this, Tillis said, is evidence of a desperate despot. The senator stressed that Ukraine's partners must do everything possible to support the country this winter, because Putin is counting on the cold weather and hopes it will give him greater leverage.
Betting on destruction of infrastructure
Tillis noted that since the winter of 2022, he had never seen Putin show a serious interest in ending the fighting ahead of the cold season.
Senator said it was clear that Russia had a plan to destroy infrastructure and wanted to leave large segments of the population without hot water and heating. He described this as Putin's standard tactic.
He also questioned the Kremlin's sincerity regarding negotiations, referring to the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska. According to Tillis, Russia intensified its hostile actions shortly after the meeting.
Ukraine's position in talks
Senator believes Putin is not currently in a stronger position. On the contrary, Tillis assessed that Ukrainians are at least equal partners at the negotiating table and, thanks to the resilience of the population and the president, may even have somewhat greater leverage.
He also praised the Ukrainian military's capabilities.
Tillis said the Ukrainian Armed Forces had done an extraordinary job repelling an invasion by a country that, before February 2022, many had considered almost an equal rival to the United States. In his assessment, Russia has demonstrated that, apart from its nuclear arsenal, it can only hope to be close to an equal rival to the Ukrainian military.
European politicians have also warned that Putin is counting on winter. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said winter could be Putin's last hope of breaking Ukraine.
Earlier, Putin made a cynical statement about Russia's alleged peace efforts, while the Kremlin continues its massive strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
