Exclusive: Putin desires a cease-fire in Ukraine on the front lines currently

Four Russian sources told Reuters that Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to end the war in Ukraine with a negotiated truce that respects the current lines of battle, but he is also ready to continue fighting if Kyiv and the West do not respond.

According to three people with knowledge of meetings within Putin’s inner circle, the seasoned Russian president had complained to a small number of advisors about what he saw as tactics by the West to obstruct negotiations and the decision by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to reject talks.

One of the four, a senior Russian source who has worked with Putin and is aware of high-level talks inside the Kremlin, stated, “Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire – to freeze the war.”

Like the others mentioned in this story, he talked under the condition of anonymity due to the delicate nature of the subject.

Five senior-level political and commercial professionals who either currently work with or have previously worked with Putin were contacted by Reuters for this story. Regarding stopping the fight at the current frontlines, the fifth source remained silent.

In response to a request for comment, Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the head of the Kremlin has stated several times that Russia was willing to engage in conversation in order to accomplish its objectives and that the nation did not desire “eternal war.”

The foreign and defense ministries of Ukraine did not reply to inquiries.

Some Western military and political observers perceived Andrei Belousov’s appointment as Russia’s defense minister last week as putting the country’s economy on a perpetual war footing in an effort to win a lengthy struggle.

It came after weeks of constant Russian territory advances and combat pressure.

Putin, who was re-elected in March to a second six-year term, would prefer to harness Russia’s current momentum to end the war, according to the sources. Regarding the newly appointed defense minister, they remained silent.

Two of the sources claimed that Putin believed the war’s current successes were sufficient to convince the Russian people that the country had won, based on their knowledge of talks that took place in the upper echelons of the Kremlin.

Tens of thousands of people have died in Europe’s largest ground battle since World War Two, and the West has imposed severe sanctions on Russia’s economy as a result.

According to three individuals, Putin was aware that any significant new developments would necessitate a second statewide mobilization, which he did not desire. A fourth source, who is acquainted with the Russian president, claimed that Putin’s standing had declined following the initial mobilization in September 2022.

Many in Russia were alarmed by the national call-up, which led to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of men who were eligible for conscription. According to polls, Putin’s standing is deteriorating.

Peskov stated that Russia was not in need of mobilization and was instead enlisting civilian contractors to support the military.

Right now, it appears unlikely that there will be a ceasefire or even peace negotiations.
Zelenskiy has stated time and time again that peace under Putin’s terms is impossible. He made a promise to recover lost land, which included the Crimea, which Russia occupied in 2014. In 2022, he issued an official proclamation making negotiations with Putin “impossible.”

According to one of the individuals, unless Russia got over Zelenskiy and made an accord with Washington, no agreement could be reached while he was in office. But last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Kyiv that he didn’t think Putin was interested in meaningful talks.

Talks in Swiss Franc

In an effort to bring international opinion on how to end the war together, Ukraine is getting ready for discussions that Switzerland will host next month. Zelenskiy, who has stated that Putin shouldn’t attend, was the one who suggested holding the talks. Russia has not received an invitation from Switzerland.

Moscow has stated that without it, the negotiations are not credible. China and other Russian allies are invited, as requested by Ukraine and Switzerland.
Speaking in China on May 17, Putin stated that Zelenskiy’s demand for a complete pullout from Russia may be supported by a larger number of nations through the Swiss negotiations. Putin further stated that this demand would be an imposed condition rather than a sincere peace process.

A request for comment was not immediately answered by the Swiss Foreign Ministry.

“We’re prepared to talk. We didn’t ever say no,” Putin declared in China.

The Kremlin has stated repeatedly that Moscow is open to the notion of negotiations based on “the new realities on the ground,” but it insists it does not comment on the status of what it refers to as its special military operation in Ukraine.

A U.S. State Department spokesman said that any peace proposal must respect Ukraine’s “territorial integrity, within its internationally recognized borders” and identified Russia as the only country standing in the way of peace in that country in answer to queries for this story.

The spokesman stated, “The Kremlin has yet to demonstrate any meaningful interest in ending its war, quite the opposite.”

Previously, Kyiv has written off Russia’s alleged willingness to communicate as an effort to place the burden for the war on it.

Kiev claims it cannot rely on Putin to keep any agreement, given that his group denied on multiple occasions that he was preparing a war prior to his invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Additionally, Russia and Ukraine have expressed their concern that the other side might rearm during any ceasefire.

Zelenskiy told Reuters this week that “one of the most difficult moments” of the full-scale war has occurred. Kyiv and its Western backers are counting on a $61 billion U.S. aid package and extra European military aid to turn the tide.
In addition to ammunition shortages brought on by American delays in approving the package, Ukraine has acknowledged that it is having trouble recruiting enough troops and last month reduced the draft age of men from 27 to 25.

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According to all the sources, Putin’s emphasis on securing any military advances through an agreement is non-negotiable.

However, four of the sources stated that Putin would be willing to make do with the area he currently controls and stop the fighting at the front lines.

One of them stated, “Putin will say that we won, that NATO attacked us and we kept our sovereignty, that we have a land corridor to Crimea, which is true,” adding their own analysis.

If the conflict were to be frozen at the existing lines, Russia would still have significant portions of the four Ukrainian areas that it legally annexed in September 2022, but none of them would be under its total authority.

A solution like this would not satisfy Moscow’s demands, which were stated at the time when it claimed full sovereignty over the four regions of Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

According to Russia’s own constitution, the four territories were now permanently part of the country, thus Peskov said there could be no discussion about giving them back.

According to one of the sources who has worked with Putin, another factor supporting the Kremlin chief’s opinion that the war should end is the fact that the longer it lingers, the more battle-hardened veterans return to Russia dissatisfied with their post-war job and income prospects, potentially causing tensions in society.

“Russia Will Advance”

Three Russian sources told Reuters in February that the US had turned down Putin’s earlier offer of a ceasefire to put an end to hostilities.

According to three of the sources, Putin wants to seize as much territory as he can to put greater pressure on Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. He also wants to take advantage of any unanticipated possibilities to seize more.

Approximately 18% of Ukraine is under Russian control, and this month they advanced into Kharkiv’s northeastern sector.

Putin is relying on Russia’s larger population than Ukraine to maintain superior manpower levels even in the absence of a mobilization, helped along by exceptionally high compensation packages for those who enlist.

According to the insider who has collaborated with Putin, “Russia will push further.”
The source stated that Putin will gradually annex more territory until Zelenskiy makes a proposal to halt, adding that the Russian president had told advisers that he believed the West would not supply enough weaponry, which would undermine Ukraine’s confidence.

Leaders from the United States and Europe have pledged to support Ukraine until its security sovereignty is ensured. Allies and NATO members claim to be working to speed up weapon supplies.

In answer to a query concerning arms shipments, the State Department stated, “Russia could end the war at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine, instead of continuing to launch brutal attacks against Ukraine’s cities, ports, and people every day.”

According to all five sources, Putin had informed advisors that he had no plans to enter NATO territory, which was consistent with his remarks made in public. According to two of the sources, Russia is increasingly concerned about the risk of escalation with the West over the Ukraine conflict, including the possibility of nuclear escalation.

According to the State Department, neither the US nuclear posture nor any indications that Russia was getting ready to launch a nuclear bomb had changed.

The spokeswoman stated, “We stay prepared and continue to monitor the strategic environment.”