The air at the top is getting thin for Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (70). Russia is ready for peace talks, but hardly anyone wants to negotiate with him anymore. First, US President Joe Biden (79) rejected Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) also does not want to speak to Putin anymore. In an interview with Bild, Selenski’s top adviser Mykhailo Podolyak (50) explains how he thinks the war will end – and why conversations with Putin would be a waste of time.
“It’s a new phase of the war,” Podolyak said. Russia does not act effectively on the battlefield and lacks tactical leadership. Their only hope now lies in destroying social services and critical infrastructure such as electricity and water supplies. “We can come out of this war stronger,” he says, also in the area of energy policy. It is important to gain independence from Russia.
Podolyak is convinced: after the recent attacks on Ukrainian cities, Russia is running out of modern, expensive Iskander and Kinzhal long-range missiles. Old Soviet-designed missiles still exist en masse – but they would be intercepted by the air defense systems. “That’s why we are negotiating with our partners to strengthen our air defense,” Podalyak said.
Winter is coming and will be merciless
However, according to Podolyak, the outlook for Ukraine in the winter is bleak. “We expect attacks and Russia has stated that publicly.” The Kremlin’s goal is to destroy infrastructure “because they can’t do anything on the battlefield.”
For Podolyak, the fact that Putin threatens to use nuclear weapons only shows how desperate he is. Because: “Anyone who wants to use nuclear weapons will receive an appropriate answer, and Russia seems to understand that,” Podolyak explains Putin’s behavior. He therefore does not assume that Putin will be able to carry out his threats. Podolyak is also convinced: “If all goes well, the war could end in the winter or spring of 2023.”
Incidentally, Putin and Zelenskiy may meet in November for the first time since the start of the war at the G-20 summit in Indonesia. But according to Podolyak, peace talks will only take place under clear conditions: “Either another party must come to power in Russia, or we must defeat them, so that the negotiation process is defined by Ukraine and given to Russia as an ultimatum” (jwg)