Europe links the escalation of the war to Putin's desire to negotiate — The Washington Post
The escalation of the war in Ukraine may be linked to the Kremlin’s attempts to return to negotiations on terms favorable to itself. This was reported by European officials, who noted that Russia is facing increasing difficulties on the front lines and in its economy.
Officially, Russia attributes the escalation to the strike on a dormitory in Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast. However, Russian and European officials, as well as analysts, tell the WP that Moscow’s reaction is linked to the situation on the front lines, where Russian troops are trying to regain the initiative ahead of the summer fighting season, which may prove more challenging for Russia than expected.
“It is clear that the announced strikes and Russia’s recent actions regarding Kyiv are a reaction not only to Ukraine’s recent strike on a college in Luhansk, but also to the expansion of the geography of Ukrainian drone and missile strikes, as well as to the slowdown in the military offensive,” a Russian scholar close to high-ranking Russian diplomats told the newspaper. According to the WP’s source, Putin apparently still believes it is possible to capture the rest of the Donetsk region within a few months and resume negotiations on that basis.
Moscow may use the threat of escalation to try to persuade the U.S. to resume peace talks, so that Donald Trump would pressure Volodymyr Zelenskyy and convince him of the need to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk region, according to Russian analysts and one of the European officials interviewed by the publication.
Some European officials, speaking with the WP, suggested that at the current rate of attrition, Russia may be forced to announce a new mobilization after the State Duma elections in September.
However, other sources interviewed by the publication believe that the Kremlin is more likely to suspend the military campaign than to take such a politically risky step. “The reason they haven’t done it will remain the reason they won’t do it,” one source said.
More detailed information is available on The Washington Post website.
Read also:
Russia attacked Kharkiv and the region overnight; there are casualties
Over the past day, 291 combat engagements were recorded on the front lines between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian troops, with the most intense fighting continuing in the Pokrovsk direction.
Over the past day, the Russian army lost another 1,430 soldiers in the war against Ukraine. Ukrainian defenders also destroyed dozens of artillery systems, hundreds of vehicles, and nearly 1,800 drones.
