Putin confident that he will be able to take full control of 4 regions of Ukraine by yearend - Bloomberg
Russian dictator vladimir putin, in the context of a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on May 19, believes that he has an advantage on the front and will be able to completely capture four regions of Ukraine by the end of the year, so he will not rush to conclude a peace agreement. Bloomberg reports this with reference to an unnamed source familiar with putin's thoughts.
"Putin is confident that his troops will be able to break through Ukraine's defenses by the end of the year and take full control of the four regions he claims. This means that the russian president is unlikely to offer any significant concessions to Trump during the conversation between the two leaders, and European officials are concerned that Trump may try to force an agreement, no matter what," the agency emphasizes.
Journalists recall that Trump insists on a quick end to the war and seeks to conclude an agreement in a direct conversation with putin. The russian dictator, for his part, has shown no signs of stopping the fighting as his troops slowly advance on the battlefield, fueling concerns in Kyiv and other European capitals that Ukraine could be forced to cede even more territory.
"There is a growing sense that U.S. efforts to secure a ceasefire have reached a culmination, and European officials are unsure whether Trump will increase pressure on russia or simply move on to the next challenge if they fail. Trump has promised to brief Zelenskyн and some of his NATO allies as soon as he finishes talking to his russian counterpart," the journalists write.
The agency's interlocutors close to the Kremlin say that despite all the talk of a cessation of hostilities, russian dictator putin is apparently ready for a protracted war if necessary to achieve his goals. He is also supposedly "optimistic" about the possible imposition of further US sanctions.
However, the agency emphasizes that putin's confidence in the prospects of the russians on the battlefield contradicts Western assessments.
"This skepticism is also shared by many russian military personnel fighting in Ukraine, a source close to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said. In particular, according to the interlocutor, Ukrainian drones have made large-scale offensive operations expensive and ineffective for russia," the journalists emphasize.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, US President Donald Trump said that on Monday, May 19, he is going to call the leaders of Ukraine and the aggressor country of russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and vladimir putin.