Volker: Change in Russia is possible only through its domestic elites
Kurt Volker, the former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, stated that despite a certain decline in support for the government, the Russian system remains resilient, and any transformation can only come from within.
He said this in an interview with Ukrinform.
“Unfortunately, Putin has successfully built a very strong authoritarian apparatus. Therefore, even despite the discontent in Russia, I am not sure that this will lead to any changes. He will simply continue to change the narrative, continue repressing people, and control the media. The only thing that could really influence him is if the Russian elites, security forces, intelligence agencies, or state-owned enterprises start acting against him. But I don’t consider this a very likely scenario,” Volker noted.
In the longer term, the situation may change, as the Kremlin’s current policies are gradually weakening Russia financially, militarily, and politically.
“However, there is currently no mechanism through which people inside Russia could counter this. We’ll have to see if anything emerges in the future,” Volker emphasized.
Earlier, Volker called peace talks on the part of the Russian Federation a fiction.
As a reminder, the Kremlin has announcedthe terms of a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
The Kremlinis also preparing three scenarios for the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, Moscow has called onthe U.S. to cooperate even before the war ends.
