Carnegie Foundation analyst sees Putin’s words as Russia’s readiness for negotiations with the West

One of the main points raised by Vladimir Putin during yesterday’s press conference was Russia’s readiness for extensive negotiations with the West.

This opinion is highlighted by Tatiana Stanovaya, the head of the Carnegie Moscow Center, in an article on the organization’s website.

“Putin is waiting for the West to reconsider its policy and start looking for opportunities for inclusive dialogue,” writes Stanovaya.

She connects this with issues regarding the allocation of new Western aid to Ukraine.

“From the perspective of the Russian leadership, the confrontation with the West has reached a turning point: the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed, Russia feels more confident than ever, and the West is increasingly wavering, immersed in internal disagreements,” the analyst believes.

She notes that since summer, Putin has been presenting himself “much more optimistically,” making fewer nuclear weapon threats. Now, he is attempting to present to the world a “new” Russia and “make the West understand that it’s time to reconsider its policy,” because Russia has enough resources to continue the war.

According to Stanovaya, the Russian president sought to demonstrate his “superiority over the adversary: militarily over Ukraine and morally, historically, geopolitically over the West.” Additionally, he aimed to show that Russia is still capable of capturing new territories in Ukraine and changing Ukrainian governance.

“Putin attempted to confront the West with the fact that Russia will achieve not only the complete military capitulation of Ukraine but will also establish a friendly regime (‘denazification’) there, and the Ukrainian Southeast will become part of Russia. Putin implies that the question is only about the price the West will pay for delaying the decision to reconsider support for Ukraine. The message is clear: either we negotiate now, or Russia will continue to grind the Ukrainian people and the military equipment sent to them,” the Carnegie analyst believes.

In her opinion, Putin’s overall address fixed the “stabilization of a new reality.”

“The stage of military uncertainty is over. Russia has turned into a consolidated warring state. According to Moscow’s perspective, neither Ukraine nor the West can change the situation on the front lines through military means. Now, Putin expects the West to reconsider its policy and begin seeking opportunities for inclusive dialogue. Signaling Russia’s readiness for such a conversation was one of the main goals of the press conference. However, obviously, such proposals made from a position of strength by Moscow will not be accepted by the West. This means a new phase of confrontation lies ahead,” the analyst suggests.

It’s worth noting that yesterday, White House representative John Kirby essentially responded to Putin’s calls by stating that the normalization of relations with Russia is possible only after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.