Does Putin now want peace?

What everyone was most probably thinking, and what Grace Piercy (left) now reports,

"Paris' rail network has been paralysed for the weekend following an arson attack, prompting fears Russia could be behind it.
...
While no group or individual has claimed responsibility - and French authorities are yet to name suspects - experts have suggested a correlation between acts of sabotage and Russian fury over their national team being excluded from the games.
...
Security analyst Alex Kokcharov told MailOnline: “Russia has both the intent and capability to attempt sabotage acts in Europe, especially in France. Russian intent is largely linked to the fact that Russia was not invited to the Olympic games.” (Express : 26 July 2024) (my emphasis)

 Added to which, as reported by Aurora Bosotti (right),

"Russia has introduced new legislation cracking down on the use of personal phones on the frontline.
...
Vladimir Putin has been grappling with a considerable threat to his reputation as soldiers engaged in Ukraine have been lamenting the lack of preparation of military commanders and the unsuitability of equipment since the start of the war." (Express: 25 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Further exacerbating his drip drip meltdown over his continued failures in his war with Ukraine, Alice Scarsi (left) reports that,

"Vladimir Putin has been humiliated once again by Ukraine after a Russian ferry was attacked earlier this week.

The move has likely hugely hindered Moscow's ability to supply its troops in the war-torn country with Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), the UK Defence Minister believes.
...
[Britain's MOD] said: "The strike will almost certainly cause Russia further logistical problems in supplying its occupying forces in southern Ukraine and the regional export of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG)." (Express: 26 July 2024) (my emphasis)

It is, therefore, no wonder that 'peace' in Ukraine is now becoming a matter of urgency for Putin.

As Gary Kasparov (right) so eloquently put it in a very recent interview,

"For Trump, all these sanctions and [Ukraine's] borders matter, but the main thing is to demonstrate that his plan is not 'pro-Putin'.

It is clear that the 2022 border [of Ukraine] is Trump's plan. Such an approach could put Putin in an incredibly difficult position... 

But, of course, Putin cannot accept this." (video below)

War And Politics 24: 27 July 2024: YouTube

Piling on the pressure for Putin's war in Ukraine to end China, according to Kasparov,

"China seems to have its 'red lines', and I believe that the use of 'nuclear' weapons by Russia is impossible because Beijing will not allow it!" 

War And Politics 24: 27 July 2024: YouTube 

Futhermore, as reported by Chris Mason and Sophie Williams,

"He [Ukraine President Zelensky] told the BBC that the whole world will need to put pressure on Russia in order to persuade it to sit down and consider ending the war.

BBC : 18 July 2024

“It doesn’t mean that all territories are won back by force. I think the power of diplomacy can help,” he said, adding that a weaker Russia on the battlefield would put Ukraine in a stronger position on the negotiating table.

“By putting pressure on Russia, I think it is possible to agree to a diplomatic settlement.” (BBC : 18 July 2024) (my emphasis)

And as reported by Aditi Shah (left), we now earn that,

" Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Ukraine next month, a local media report said, his first visit to the country since its war with Russia began and just weeks after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
...
India has refrained from directly blaming Russia, while urging the two nations to resolve their conflict through dialogue and diplomacy." (Reuters: 27 July 2024) my emphasis)

NDTV: 27 July 2024

That dyed-in-the wool Soviet foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov (left), as reported by the Kyiv Independant,

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he "does not listen" to Ukraine's statements about peace talks, claiming recent comments from senior Kyiv officials have been contradictory.
...
Lavrov's dismissive comments contrast with Russian authorities' repeated claims that they are open to peace negotiations." (Kyiv Independent: 27 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Unfortunately for Lavrov, Putin's mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov (right) thinks otherwise. 

As reported by Dmitry Antonov,

"The Kremlin signalled on Thursday it was open to negotiations with Ukraine on ending the conflict while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy remains in power despite publicly doubting his legitimacy to rule.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday during a visit to China that Kyiv was prepared for talks with Russia provided Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity were fully respected, though he said that Ukraine has seen no sign of that." (Reuters: 25 July 2024) (my emphasis)

The critical question is :-

Does Putin now want peace?  

UPDATE: 29 July 2024

There now seems to be a frenzy about instituting 'peace' talks regarding Putin's war with Ukraine.

As Dmytro Basmat reports,

 "U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (left) met with India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during the Quad Summit in Tokyo on July 28, to discuss among other things a "just and enduring peace" in Ukraine, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said.

The comments on Ukraine come as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly scheduled to travel to Kyiv in August, marking his first visit to Ukraine since Russia launched its all-out war in February 2022." (Kyiv Independent on Yahoo News: 29 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Putin cannot escape from the increasing pressure being put on him 'internationally' by those whom he regarded as his supporters in his war with Ukraine.

 Kanishka Singh: Reuters on Microsoft Start: 28 July 2024

And against the backdrop to these developments, 

• Ukraine said it hit a Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber a record-breaking 1,100 miles from its borders, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Saturday, citing sources in the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. (Cameron Manley: Business Insider: 28 July 2024) (my emphasis)
• UKRAINE has blasted an oil terminal in Russia while humiliated Vladimir Putin flexed his military muscle at Navy's day parade.. (Aiya Zhussupova & Will Stewart: The Sun: 28 July 2024) (my emphasis)
• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday emphasized the importance of a 'just and enduring peace' for Ukraine in a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, according to the State Department. The discussion came amid reports of an upcoming visit to Ukraine by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Devdiscourse News Desk: 28 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Putin simply has nowhere to turn to.

 

 

 

(to be continued)