Putin believes he'll seize four regions by the year's end — media

The Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, believes that by the end of 2025, the invaders will be able to completely occupy four regions of Ukraine. He is convinced that he has a strong position before his phone call with the leader of the United States of America, Donald Trump.

It was reported by Bloomberg on Monday, May 19.

The occupation of four regions of Ukraine

"Putin is confident that his forces can break through Ukraine's defenses by the end of the year to take full control of four regions that he has claimed for Russia," a person familiar with the Russian dictator's thinking, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated.

The publication notes that the Russian dictator is unlikely to make significant concessions to Trump during their conversation on May 19. In addition, European officials fear that the leader of the United States may try to impose a deal "at any cost".

Trump insisted on a quick end to the war in Ukraine and supported the possibility of a deal during a direct conversation with Putin.

At the same time, the Russian dictator has not shown any willingness to stop the fighting, which has increased concerns in Kyiv and other European capitals.

"Unfortunately where we are in the war, you don't see strong incentives for Russia to agree to a ceasefire," Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, noted.

As a reminder, ISW analysts stated that the Kremlin is not preparing Russians to end the war in Ukraine. The invaders call for no concessions to be offered.

Also, according to the digest of ISW, Putin does not want to end the war in Ukraine and is not ready for any compromises. Instead, he demands that Ukraine significantly reduce its army and military equipment. Meanwhile, Russia has intensified an information campaign to accuse Ukraine of disrupting the talks.