“Field for manipulation”. Putin wants to drag Ukraine into direct talks to accuse it of being destructive – political analyst
Russian president putin is trying to seize the initiative by pushing the idea of direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul without a prior ceasefire. This opinion was expressed in an interview with OstroV by political analyst and head of the analytical center United Ukraine, Ihor Petrenko.
“Putin is trying to seize the initiative. His three-day truce didn’t work, it didn’t get the desired reaction. Ukraine, the United States, and European partners supported the position that a ceasefire should be introduced for a longer period. That’s why Putin tried to make a move to seize the initiative and proposed a meeting in Istanbul”, - said Ihor Petrenko.
According to the political analyst, putin doesn’t actually want a truce—he’s aiming for Ukraine’s capitulation. But at the same time, he’s trying to reclaim the initiative and not give grounds to say that he is refusing the peace process.
“He’s passing the ball to Trump: like, we’re not against it, let’s meet in Istanbul, we’re open to talking. Putin wants to maintain ties with Trump and avoid provoking a harsher reaction, so as not to create the impression that russia is the one delaying the process and unwilling to agree to a ceasefire. It’s an attempt to create the impression of dialogue”, - the analyst noted.
He believes the kremlin is signaling to U.S. President Donald Trump that it is “not against talking”, trying to avoid a tough response from Washington. At the same time, putin wants to create an image of diplomatic activity while continuing combat operations.
“He wants to pull Ukraine into negotiations without the presence of the United States and the European Union, so he can accuse Ukraine of being destructive”, - explained Ihor Petrenko.
According to him, the format of direct negotiations without intermediaries always creates a field for manipulation.
The political analyst also pointed out the symbolic significance of the possible location of the talks.
“It’s putin’s attempt to tie the situation to the so-called ‘Istanbul agreements’ that took place at the beginning of the full-scale invasion”, - noted Ihor Petrenko.
It was previously reported that russian dictator putin, in his night address on May 11, proposed resuming peace negotiations with Ukraine—which, in his opinion, were broken off by the Ukrainian side in 2022—on Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul.