Kremlin's appetites broader than Ukraine: ISW explains putin's new message to West

The war plans of russian dictator vladimir putin go far beyond Ukraine. This conclusion was made by analysts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), analyzing the latest statements of the Kremlin leader.

The ISW recalled that putin called the war against Ukraine a "direct consequence" of the West's alleged ignoring of russia's interests through NATO expansion, despite "public promises" not to do so. According to analysts, with these theses, the dictator made it clear: he would not be satisfied with any peaceful settlement that is limited only to Ukraine and does not involve deep changes in the North Atlantic community itself.

Experts explained that fulfilling putin's ultimatums, voiced at the end of 2021 and mentioned again in his speech on January 15, 2026, would in fact mean dismantling NATO and a forced revision of the entire European security architecture.

The ISW emphasizes: "putin has repeatedly demonstrated that his demands are greater than those set forth in the US-proposed 28-point plan and subsequent peace plans. Putin remains committed to his original military goals for 2021 and 2022, which go beyond the territory and are not limited to Ukraine."

Earlier, on January 15, during a ceremony to receive credentials from ambassadors of 34 states, putin again spoke about peace initiatives, while threatening Ukraine with continued war. He proposed "returning to a substantive discussion of russia's initiatives for a new and fair security architecture" and traditionally shifted responsibility for the war to Ukraine.

According to the dictator, "the crisis around Ukraine is a direct consequence of ignoring russia's interests" and expanding NATO to its borders, and the international situation, he says, is "degrading more and more" as diplomacy is allegedly being supplanted by "unilateral, and very dangerous, actions."

Recall, Scholz said that putin had been preparing an attack on Ukraine for two years.