Russia won't budge from its terms "one bit": ISW analysts evaluate Putin's plans.

Russia asserts that negotiations with Ukraine must be based solely on the terms outlined in Istanbul and refuses to make any compromises, despite changes on the battlefield and significant territorial gains by Ukraine. This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), as relayed by UNN.

Details

It is noted that a senior Russian official reiterated President Vladimir Putin's insistence that negotiations with Ukraine should be grounded in the same uncompromising demands he presented before the full-scale invasion and during the peak of Russia's territorial conquests, even though Ukraine has since liberated a substantial portion of its territory.

Matviyenko emphasized that Russia will not budge from these conditions "by even a jot." In Istanbul, Russia required Ukraine to become a neutral state that would not be able to join NATO. Another demand from the Russian Federation was to limit the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to 85,000 personnel, akin to the restrictions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.

Matviyenko reiterated Putin's demands during the annual televised press conference "Direct Line" on December 19. Similar statements from senior Russian officials are likely to emerge in the coming weeks for both domestic and foreign audiences, analysts noted in the report.

ISW analysts point out that the intensification of rhetoric from Russian officials indicates Putin's confidence in achieving victory over Ukraine. "This remains unchanged despite the significant defeats that the Russian army has suffered since then," the report states.

Reminder,

The Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may have tasked the military with taking control of new territories in the East. An offensive on well-defended cities like Pokrovsk could slow the pace of Russian advances at a critical moment in the "geopolitical victory for the Kremlin."