Putin may have changed goals in war against Ukraine – CNN
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, may have shifted his immediate focus in Russia's war against Ukraine to the short-term goals of strengthening his control over the temporarily occupied territory and addressing economic problems at home. This is according to new intelligence that has been reviewed by U.S. and Western officials, reports CNN, citing several people familiar with the matter.
According to U.S. intelligence, Putin was previously confident that Russia had an advantage at the front and enough forces to continue the war and completely capture Ukraine.
According to two CNN interlocutors, the idea that Putin has now changed his views on the war has influenced the belief of US President Donald Trump and his team that the Russian dictator may now be "more willing to consider a potential peace deal than in the past.".
However, senior U.S. officials remain skeptical of Putin and his repeated statements in the ongoing negotiations that he wants a peace deal. Even if Russia agrees to the version of the deal on the table, it could try to resume the war and take over more of Ukraine in the long run, according to CNN's article.
A senior Western intelligence official suggests Putin may now be contemplating a "reasonable" short-term goal.
According to him, it all depends on what the United States is willing to offer so that Putin can not only declare victory domestically, but also "really feel that he has achieved something worthy of a significant pause." After this break, Putin may resume the war.
The official recalled Putin's repeated references to the "historical origin" of the Russian people. Against this background, the CNN source believes that Putin has a long-term goal of seizing more of Ukraine's territories, "at least those parts that are the cradle of Russian civilization" in the eyes of the Russian dictator.
An unnamed European official agreed in a commentary to CNN that Moscow is willing to "play along" with the United States and limit its immediate goals in the war to improve relations with Washington, but "clearly has not abandoned its maximalist military goals.".
"The Kremlin hopes that better relations "will distract attention after the tactical pause, and that they can then use a combination of military, economic, information and political tools to achieve Putin's full goals in Ukraine and beyond," the official said .
- on April 19, 2025, Putin declared an "Easter Truce" for 30 hours. Zelenskyy called it "another attempt to play with lives," but agreed on the condition that Russia would actually cease fire.
- After the "Easter truce" was introduced, Russia continued to attack, but the fighting decreased. There were no air alerts across Ukraine during this time, but Russian troops staged strikes on temporarily occupied Donetsk to accuse Ukraine of violating the ceasefire.
On April 28, Putin announced a "truce"for the 80th anniversary of Victory Day from 00:00 on May 7 to 8 to 00:00 from May 10 to May 11. - President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Putin's "truce" proposal another attempt at manipulation by Russia.
- US Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg called absurd the proposal of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for another "truce" on May 9.
