Statements made by Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the alleged illegitimacy of the Ukrainian government and potential peace agreements set the stage for Moscow to justify any future violations of agreements with Kyiv. TSN reports. This information is provided by Kontrakty.UA.
This is mentioned in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts reminded that Putin has repeatedly claimed the illegitimacy of all Ukrainian governments that have been in power since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. However, the Russian dictator has engaged in negotiations and reached agreements with Ukrainian officials, including the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015. The Kremlin leader has also consistently violated these agreements while making similar claims about the illegitimacy of the Ukrainian government to justify his violations.
According to ISW experts, even if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or other government representatives agreed to revoke the decree banning negotiations with Putin, the Russian president would likely violate any peace or other agreements reached with Kyiv under the false pretext that such agreements are "invalid." The Russian dictator may act this way as long as he believes he can achieve his maximalist military goals through military operations.
"Putin is likely also intending to use false statements about the illegitimacy of the Ukrainian government and the restrictions imposed by the decree on the possibility of peace negotiations to falsely portray Ukraine – rather than Russia – as the party that continues the war and is unwilling or unable to engage in meaningful negotiations with its domestic and international audience," the report states.
Recall that on January 28, Putin stated that a peace dialogue with Ukraine without the cancellation of Zelensky's "decree" banning negotiations with Russia would be "illegitimate," and therefore futile. He also claimed the alleged illegitimacy of the Ukrainian leader.