Russia may use the ceasefire to prepare for a new offensive in Ukraine.
Source. This is stated in the daily review of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
ISW experts drew attention to the publication of Reuters, which on Friday, 24 May, citing four Russian sources, reported that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is ready to stop the war in Ukraine if a ceasefire agreement is concluded that fixes the current position of the parties on the front line.
The ISW stressed that it could not verify whether the reports of Reuters sources accurately reflect the Russian president's actual position on the ceasefire.
Over the past six months, Western media have repeatedly reported, citing sources close to the Kremlin, that Putin is interested in negotiating a ceasefire.
According to ISW experts, reports in the Western media about Putin's interest in peace talks with Kyiv may be part of the Kremlin's information operation aimed at persuading the West to make concessions regarding Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
According to the ISW, the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine in recent months indicate that the Kremlin is more interested in achieving its long-term goal of maximising the seizure of Ukrainian territory than in any negotiation process or ceasefire.
The ceasefire agreement will not prevent Russia from resuming its offensive against Ukraine, ISW believes. Russia may use the respite during the ceasefire to actively prepare for a new large-scale offensive, according to experts at the Institute for the Study of War.
Background. To recap, Foreign Minister Kuleba said that Putin is trying to disrupt the Peace Summit in Switzerland by throwing in information about "readiness for negotiations". According to him, all these are false signals, as Putin is actually afraid that the summit will be successful.