Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that despite the Kremlin's "willingness" to negotiate with Western leaders, no negotiations can guarantee a sustainable peace with the demands of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.

Source : ISW

Details : The Kremlin confirmed that it was ready to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump without any "preconditions", but noted that its negotiating position remained unchanged.

On 10 January, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov responded to Trump's announcement that he would organise a meeting with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and said that Putin was open to conversations with international leaders and that "no conditions are required".

Peskov, however, reiterated that the Kremlin maintains its "repeatedly voiced" position on Ukraine, which Putin clearly defined in June 2024 and reiterated during his press conference on 19 December.

In June 2024, Putin demanded that Ukraine replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government under the guise of "denazification", demilitarisation and cede significant territories in Ukraine’s east and south, including those regions of Ukraine that Russia does not currently occupy, to Russia – all of which effectively means Ukraine's complete surrender.

Quote from the ISW : "No negotiations will result in a meaningful or sustainable peace as long as Putin remains committed to these demands – regardless of the Kremlin's ‘willingness’ to hold talks with Western leaders."

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 10 January:  

• Ukrainian forces struck a Russian ammunition and drone storage warehouse in Rostov Oblast on the night of 9-10 January.
• The Kremlin reiterated that it is ready to hold talks with US President-elect Donald Trump without any "preconditions" but noted that its negotiating position remains unchanged.
• The United States, United Kingdom and Japan announced new sanctions against Russia on 10 January.
• The EU recently transferred €3 billion (about US$3.07 billion) to Ukraine, the first tranche of EU funding from the profits of frozen Russian assets.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and near Kupiansk, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.
• The BBC Russian Service reported on 10 January that a joint investigation conducted with Russian opposition outlet Medizona using open-source data has confirmed that at least 88,055 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since February 2022.

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