May 24th 2024.
On May 17, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a press conference at the Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, China. During this conference, it was reported that Putin was willing to put an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine, but with one condition - maintaining the current gains made by Russia on the battlefield.
According to four Russian sources familiar with discussions within Putin's entourage, the president is frustrated with what he sees as Western interference in negotiations. One source, a senior Russian who has worked with Putin and is privy to high-level conversations in the Kremlin, stated that Putin is prepared to continue fighting for as long as it takes, but is also open to a ceasefire to freeze the war.
All sources requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic. They also agreed that for Putin, a ceasefire must include maintaining control over substantial portions of four Ukrainian regions, without having full authority over any of them. As one source put it, "Putin will claim victory, stating that Nato attacked Russia and that they have maintained their sovereignty. He will also point out that Russia now has a land corridor to Crimea, which is factually correct."
However, this proposed ceasefire falls short of Putin's initial goals at the start of the conflict, where he stated that four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson - were now under Russian control. Dmitry Peskov, the president's press secretary, has reiterated that according to Russia's constitution, there can be no question of handing back the four regions, as they are now permanently part of Russia.
This potential outcome of the Russian invasion has long been feared by both Ukraine and Nato. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently stated that peace on Putin's terms is not an option. He has made it clear that he intends to retake lost territories, including Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. In 2022, Zelensky signed a decree declaring any talks with the "Russian warlord" impossible.
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