ISW: Kremlin Trying to Force Trump to Revoke Putin Deadline
Kremlin officials have firmly rejected the new deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Russia to negotiate an end to the war against Ukraine and have confirmed Moscow's interest in continuing the war.
The Gaze writes about it, referring to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.
Analysts drew attention to a statement by Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev that Trump cannot dictate the terms of peace negotiations and that negotiations will end when Russia achieves its “military objectives.”
The report also contains a statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov that Russia will continue the war against Ukraine in order to “protect Russia's interests,” despite Trump's announcement of a new 10- or 12-day deadline for Moscow to conclude a peace agreement.
According to Peskov, there is currently a slowdown in the process of normalizing Russian-American relations, but the Kremlin remains interested in normalizing these relations. Peskov added that “impulses” from both sides are necessary for progress. The Kremlin spokesman also said that the current state of Russian-American relations is hindering the process of negotiations on the extension of the new START III Treaty.
ISW experts noted that the Kremlin had previously promised incentives unrelated to the war in Ukraine, such as bilateral arms control negotiations and economic projects, in order to extract concessions from the US regarding the war in Ukraine.
Peskov's statements about the deterioration of Russian-Ukrainian relations and the new START III Treaty are likely part of efforts to force Trump to abandon his deadline for Russia to conclude a peace agreement with Ukraine in order to normalize bilateral relations and expand cooperation between the US and Russia, the report says.
“ISW continues to believe that the Kremlin is not interested in negotiations to end the war, but rather is trying to prolong the war in Ukraine to gain additional advantages on the battlefield,” the Institute concluded.
As The Gaze reported earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump has given Russia a 10-day deadline, starting Tuesday, to end its military offensive against Ukraine or face sweeping economic retaliation, including new tariffs and other punitive measures.