ISW reports Putin wants to completely destroy Ukraine

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric and demands to end the war suggest he does not want to agree to anything other than undermining Ukraine’s statehood and identity, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.

According to ISW, Putin used a July 5 meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to oppose a negotiated ceasefire and said he was committed to a “final” end to the war, which would allow him to achieve his goal of destroying Ukrainian statehood.

“Putin said the agreement between Russia and Ukraine should not result in a temporary ceasefire that would allow Ukraine to regroup and rearm, with Russia advocating a ‘complete’ and ‘final’ end to the conflict,” the ISW report said.

Putin has demanded that large parts of Ukraine’s territory and population be handed over to Russian occupation and Ukrainian troops be surrendered before negotiations to end the war can begin.

ISW noted that Putin has long called for the “demilitarization” of Ukraine, meaning that Ukraine gives up its ability to resist Russian aggression so that its masters in the Kremlin can freely impose their will on Ukraine.

ISW emphasizes that Putin will almost certainly use Ukraine’s capitulation to achieve his second goal – to overthrow the democratically elected Ukrainian government and replace it with a pro-Russian political system of his choice.

Analysts believe that a Ukrainian counteroffensive to liberate significant territory remains the most effective way to undermine Putin’s confidence in the desired end result of his war of aggression against Ukraine.

Experts say Putin’s confidence in Russia’s ability to induce surrender or win a long war of attrition is based on an assessment that Ukraine will be unable to mount a counteroffensive of operational significance.

Experts stressed that the West should provide the necessary support for Ukraine’s counterattack as soon as possible to disrupt Putin’s calculations and avoid the war being delayed longer than necessary to ensure an acceptable peace for Ukraine and its partners.