"Vladimir putin believes in the possibility of a complete victory in Ukraine. Russian generals and intelligence services embellish reports on the situation at the front for the president of russia", - the Telegram channel "Radio Svoboda" wrote on December 23, citing the Financial Times.
This is precisely why, according to FT, putin refuses to agree to ending the war on the terms proposed to him by Donald Trump.
"Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev flew out of Miami without comment. He only noted that the next meeting should take place in moscow", - the report emphasizes.
Financial Times sources note that putin regularly meets with trusted aides who report to him that the war is placing an ever greater burden on the economy, but he still believes that russia can win.
At military briefings, according to the publication’s sources, losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are exaggerated, moscow’s advantages in terms of resources are emphasized, and tactical failures are downplayed.
"For a month now, russian military commanders have been insisting that the army has captured and controls the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv oblast. Even during putin’s ‘Direct line Q&’ he was asked about a photo of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, from Kupiansk. Putin said that Zelensky is ‘an actor and a talented actor’. The Armed Forces of Ukraine call moscow’s statements about taking Kupiansk false. According to RBC-Ukraine, more than a hundred Ukrainian soldiers remain in the city", - "Radio Svoboda" also writes.
Reuters, citing intelligence sources, reported that putin still seeks to establish control over the entire territory of Ukraine.
It was previously reported that Zelensky visited Kupiansk against the backdrop of triumphant russian reports about its complete capture.