Putin will refuse the ceasefire by Friday
Vladimir Putin may not agree to a ceasefire by the end of the week, as requested by Donald Trump, and plans to seize four Ukrainian regions, sources familiar with the situation in the Kremlin reported.
According to Reuters, the US president is threatening to impose new sanctions on Russia and 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire.
Putin aims to capture four Ukrainian regions
The Russian leader resolutely continues the war due to his belief in victory and uncertainty about the effectiveness of new American sanctions after several years of war, sources from the Kremlin report.
Putin aims to capture Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, which he has already declared Russian, and then negotiate peace, according to sources.
Moscow is not afraid of Trump's sanctions
The threat of sanctions from Trump is 'painful and unpleasant' for Moscow, but not catastrophic, sources say. One believes that 'they particularly cannot do anything more to us.'
There are also doubts about whether Trump will implement his ultimatum. 'He has made threats before,' sources note.
The lost 'fantastic opportunity'
It has been established that in March, the US proposed to Russia to lift sanctions, recognize the annexation of Crimea and Russian control over territories seized since 2022, in exchange for ending the war. A source calls this proposal a 'fantastic opportunity', but emphasizes that stopping the war is much more difficult than starting it.
The deadline for a ceasefire by Friday may be passed by Putin, who seeks to achieve his goals in the war on Ukrainian territory, despite American pressure and sanctions threats. The Russian leader continues to maneuver and maintain tension in the region, refusing to accept the conditions imposed on him, particularly by the US.