The Russian president, who has not yet agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, wants to upset the security order on the Continent and will try to “drive a wedge” between Washington and Kyiv, the senior European diplomat said.
Fears that Putin will try to draw out negotiations to end the three-year war have intensified after the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, agreed between Ukraine and the US last week, were not immediately accepted by Moscow.
Western officials believe, however, that the 30-day ceasefire could be introduced as an interim measure to allow breathing space for proper negotiations on bringing a permanent end to the conflict.
Asked about the Russian president’s willingness to enter peace talks, Stubb told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “I think the chances are abysmal. I don’t think Putin doesn’t want a ceasefire. Putin doesn’t want peace.
“That’s why we have to maximise the pressure on Putin which means more sanctions which means using the frozen assets and which actually means militarising Ukraine to the teeth.”
The diplomat said they feared Putin would “try to entrap the Americans in a lengthy negotiating process”.
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And they drew a parallel with how Putin achieved a “total diplomatic victory” over Barack Obama in 2013 by promising to remove Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, while secretly letting Bashar al-Assad keep it.
Steve Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy to the Ukraine conflict, told CNN on Sunday he expected the discussion to be “really good and positive”, adding: “I expect that there will be a call with both presidents this week, and we’re also continuing to engage and have conversation with the Ukrainians.”
Trump has warned Putin he will impose new and punishing sanctions on Moscow if the Russian president does not accept the interim 30-day ceasefire proposal.
But western negotiators are also expected to offer concessions to tempt Putin to sign a deal, including potentially the offer of closer cooperation between Russia and Nato in Europe.
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