Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.
Three of the sources, familiar with discussions in Putin’s entourage, said the veteran Russian leader had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers about what he views as Western-backed attempts to stymie negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to rule out talks.
“Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire – to freeze the war,” said another of the four, a senior Russian source who has worked with Putin and has knowledge of top level conversations in the Kremlin.
He, like the others cited in this story, spoke on condition of anonymity given the matter’s sensitivity.
Agreed, time is on the Russian side. A ceasefire, esp until Trump gets reelected, or doesn’t, and causes a civil war, gives him space to regroup and rearm with Indian and Chinese gear.
Either way the US will be chaotic after the election and funding a foreign war may not be a thing, esp. if there is a domestic insurgency. And Europe still doesn’t have what it takes, and probably won’t, to meet any needs.