Russia wants the US deal, not peace in Ukraine — ISW analyst

The Russian authorities continue to promote destructive messages against the backdrop of the talks between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia that took place on March 23-24 in Riyadh. Despite the lack of public information on the details of these meetings, the Kremlin is using the moment to spread its own propaganda theses and shape its favorable agenda.

It is stated in the report of the analysts of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Russia is actively spreading propaganda against the backdrop of talks with the United States

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, has once again accused Ukraine of "Nazism" and alleged "lack of will", repeating the Kremlin's rhetoric about the need for "denazification", which is a veiled demand for a change of government in Kyiv to a pro-Russian one. Analysts point out that such statements look like yet another attempt to legitimise the invasion and the issuance of political ultimatums under the guise of peace initiatives.

In his turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the consultations in Saudi Arabia, recalled Ukraine's alleged violation of the proposed moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure, despite the fact that the deal itself has not yet been finalised. He and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, also suggested that we should not expect much from the talks. They stated that it is too early to talk about a breakthrough, as there is a lot of technical work to be done. 

Thus, according to analysts, the Kremlin is probably deliberately preparing Russian society for a protracted war, demonstrating that Moscow is not satisfied with compromise scenarios. Such rhetoric serves as a justification for continuing hostilities and delaying the negotiation process.

Russia is going out of its way to demonstrate that it prefers to negotiate with the United States, not Ukraine

At the same time, some high-ranking representatives of the Russian Federation openly demonstrate that the Kremlin's main goal is to establish bilateral agreements with Washington, not real peace in Ukraine.

For example, according to Vyacheslav Nikonov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, considers relations with the United States more important than the situation in Ukraine. In comments to The New York Times, other Russian officials confirmed the Kremlin's desire to reach a "broader deal" with the United States, which would include easing sanctions, deterring NATO, and ensuring a geopolitical balance favorable to Russia.

Thus, Moscow is trying to reduce the importance of Ukraine itself in the talks, promoting the idea of resolving the conflict by bypassing Kyiv, exclusively in the format of Washington-Moscow dialogue.

As a reminder, it has been reported that today, March 25, the United States and Russia will release their joint statement on the Black Sea truce. 

Meanwhile, Russia is demanding that Ukraine withdraw the Armed Forces of Ukraine from four regions.