Putin has painted himself into a 'tight' political corner.

That the knives in the Kremlin are now been stuck in Putin's back is exemplified, as reported by Chris Samuel, that,

"Vladimir Putin would be prepared for Russia to share sovereignty of Crimea under a new "peace plan" to end the years-long war in Ukraine, it has been claimed.

Sources in Moscow and Kyiv claim the Russian President [Putin] has already sent interior minister and trusted ally Vladimir Kolokoltsev (left) to the United States with the package of proposals.

Despite being sanctioned by the US, Kolokoltsev arrived in New York on June 26 to take part in UNCOPS-2024, a UN summit of police chiefs." (Express: 4 July 2024) (my emphasis) 

What is interesting to note is that Russian Interior Minister, Kolokoltsev, is a "trusted ally" of Putin.

"Why?", one might ask, "is Putin suddenly sending Kolokoltsev to give US President Biden a 'peace' proposal that includes" :-

• Ukraine must completely withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk, two regions now partially annexed by Putin's forcees.
•  Russia would hand over Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station as well as the nearby town of Enerhodar, and would discuss the possible transfer of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions back to Kyiv's control. 
• The Black Sea pensinusula of Crimea, meanwhile, would be turned into a “specially demilitarised administrative territory with dual subordination to Ukraine and the Russian Federation”.
• “Ukraine must take on itself legally binding international guarantees, not to block the supply of water to Crimea,” said Gordon, quoting a document. (ibid Chris Samuel)

 Kanal13 : 5 July 2024: YouTube

In effect, Putin is rolling back the political carpet to his demented idea of "Novorossiya" (Courtney Weaver: Financial Times: 30 December 2014)  in 2014 when he first invaded Ukraine's Crimea, and subsequently occupied chunks of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk provinces.

As Chris Samuel also points out,

"Dmitry Gordon, a leading Ukrainian TV journalist, said he learnt details of the prososals from his country's "intelligence sources”.

Meanwhile, Russian Telegram channel Gosdumskaya - which claims insider sources in Moscow - also reported a similar set of demands from the Kremlin leader." (ibid Chris Samuel) 

The plot thickens, as reported by the Telegraph, that,

"Vladimir Putin has said he believes Donald Trump is sincere about ending the war in Ukraine, but does not know what his plan would involve.
...
Sources close to the former president [Trump] claimed this week that he was considering striking a bargain with Putin to block Ukraine from joining Nato.

“The fact that Mr Trump, as a presidential candidate, declares that he is ready and wants to stop the war in Ukraine, we take this completely seriously,” Putin said at a news conference in Kazakhstan at the end of a regional security conference.” (Telegraph: 5 July 2024) (my emphasis)

 Times of India : 4 July 2024 : YouTube

This sudden 'flurry' of 'peace' proposals emanating from Putin simply underscores the fact that he is on the verge of being deposed, and that his 'peace' proposals are nothing more than his Kremlin 'backstabbers' cobbling together a 'politically face-saving' device for themselves as Russia's defeat stares them in the face.

Putin's recent 'hob-nobbing' with Chinese President Xi Jing Ping, seeking his support in his war with Ukraine, has somewhat been eclipsed by Indian President Modi preparing to,

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to embark on his first visit to Russia since the onset of the Ukraine conflict on July 8. His visit underscores India's delicate balancing act, as it navigates maintaining its longstanding alliance with Moscow while seeking closer security ties with Western nations." (Mausam Jha : Mint: 5 July 2024) (my emphasis)

Mausam Jha goes on to report that,

"In recent years, the United States and its Western allies have strengthened relations with India as a counterbalance to Beijing's expanding influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, they have urged India to reduce its ties with Russia.
...
Russia's military actions in Ukraine have also had a significant human impact on India. In February, India stated it was actively negotiating with Russia for the release of its citizens who had been recruited for "support jobs" with the Russian military." (ibid Mausam Jha)

Further underscoring the politically 'face-saving' peace proposals of Putin and his 'siloviki', Kwan Wei Kevin Tan (right) reports that,

"China could hold the key to ending Russia's war in Ukraine, Finland President Alexander Stubb said in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday.

China's influence on Russia, Stubb said, stemmed from the latter's growing reliance on the Asian giant as it grapples with crippling economic sanctions from the West.

"I argue that Russia is so dependent on China right now that one phone call from President Xi Jinping would solve this crisis," Stubb said of the Chinese leader."If he were to say, 'Time to start negotiating peace.' Russia would be forced to do that." (Business Insider: 3 July 2024 ) (my emphasis)

 

Reality is finally beginning to dawn on Putin that he has painted himself into a 'tight' political corner.

 

No matter which way he turns in his 'political' bunker is he confronted with the inescapable fact that neither himself, nor Russia, can any longer continue against the will of the people of Ukraine, and the support for Ukraine from the West.

 

UPDATE: 6 July 2024

The Associated Press has just reported that,

"The message to NATO from President Vladimir Putin was simple and stark: Don’t go too far in providing military support for Ukraine, or you’ll risk a conflict with Russia that could quickly turn nuclear.
...

“Representatives of NATO members, particularly in small countries of Europe, should be aware of what they are playing with,” he said, adding they could be mistaken to rely on U.S. protection if Russia strikes them.
...
With the West allowing Ukraine to hit Russian territory, Putin threatened to respond by providing weapons to Western adversaries worldwide. He underscored the message in June by signing a mutual defense pact with North Korea, signaling Moscow could start arms deliveries to Pyongyang.

He also declared that Moscow would start producing intermediate-range missiles banned under a Cold War-era pact that Washington and Moscow scrapped in 2019. The Kremlin wouldn’t say where Moscow could deploy the new weapons that were prohibited by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which outlawed ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,410 miles).

Such nuclear-capable missiles are seen as particularly destabilizing because they can reach targets faster than ICBMs, leaving practically no time for decision-makers and raising the likelihood of a global nuclear war over a false launch warning." (AP: 6 July 2024) (my emphasis)

 

Holding a "nuclear gun" at the head of the world, Putin is telling the world that he is more than ready to push the 'nuclear button'.

 

 Lex Clips : May 2024 : YouTube

 

 

 

(to be continued)