ESSEC Business School professor Cedomir Nestorovic told The Edge Singapore that Putin’s offer is likely genuine. Despite the stunning successes of the Ukrainian army in reversing the Russian invasion, they have yet to penetrate Crimea and the Donbas. Having accepted that he is unlikely to achieve his initial goal of taking the whole of Ukraine, Nestorovic argues that Putin’s offer is for “locking in” Russian gains by getting Kyiv to accept Russian sovereignty over these territories in exchange for an end to the conflict.
One year is a long time for a war that was supposed to end in a week. As the war between Russia and Ukraine nears its first anniversary, it appears at first glance that Russian President Vladimir Putin has had enough of his self-inflicted farrago in Ukraine. On Christmas Day, he told the world that he was willing to come to the negotiating table if his adversaries would do the same.
"We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions,” Putin told Russian state media. The problem, he argues, is that Ukraine and the West are unwilling to meet him at the negotiating table. As if to reinforce his peaceful intentions, Putin called a 36-hour ceasefire on Jan 6 for Orthodox Christmas (celebrated later than Gregorian calendar). Kyiv accuses the Kremlin of breaking the ceasefire with attacks during the truce.
