Author of Putin’s Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, Dr. Mark Galliotti notes that the announcement of the troop withdrawal from Gerson essentially represents and charts a “new phase of the war”. Sky NewsWhat options the Russian president has left and what he might do.
According to the expert, now Putin is “not trying to win anymore [războiul] on the battlefield’ and instead tries to ‘avoid losing it’.
The Russian president is now betting that the West will withdraw its support for Ukraine and has decided it is too costly, Galiotti says.
Vladimir Putin believes the West is “ultimately weak and unable to focus”, he said – so the war is planned “for as long as it lasts”.
If that fails, Geliotti said the Russian leader is “almost locked in” and has few other options.
The Russians have raised the prospect of talks, but there appears to be no common ground between the two sides at the moment, so the talks are “pointless”.
There is an option to escalate, such as using a tactical nuclear weapon, but Marc Galliotti doesn’t think Putin would consider it.
Another option is capitulation – which would mean the end of Vladimir Putin’s career.
“Between the two, it is necessary to continue,” said the expert, adding that “it is very difficult to see a way out of this situation.”
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