Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin currently has no desire to negotiate an end to the war, as he expects a harsh winter to weaken Ukraine and divide Ukrainian society.
This was stated by Serhii Kyslytsia, First Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in an interview with Ukrinform.
“Putin currently has no desire whatsoever to sit down at the negotiating table, and from the start of winter until its end—that is, at least until mid-March—he will have even less motivation, because he will believe that Ukrainians are not strong enough as a nation to survive this winter,” Kyslytsia said.
According to him, Russia’s strategy for the coming winter is based on dividing Ukrainian society and the calculation that “some will not be able to endure it, some will start fleeing, and some will take up pitchforks against the government, the village council, their neighbors, or their brothers.”
Kyslytsia noted that Ukraine weathered last winter with dignity despite the blackouts. At the same time, he pointed out that the armed conflict in Iran, which began in late February, had depleted Ukraine’s stockpiles of anti-ballistic weapons.
