A senior official in the Russian State Duma, Konstantin Zatulin, has admitted that none of the objectives set by President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine have been achieved. The officially stated goals, including Ukraine's "denazification", "demilitarization", and "neutrality", and the protection of the residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, have not been met. Furthermore, some goals, such as Ukraine's neutrality, have lost their meaning altogether.
In addition, despite Putin's assertion that Russia would prevent the "NATO military machine" from approaching its borders, the invasion of Ukraine has triggered membership applications to NATO from Sweden and Finland, with Finland, sharing a substantial land border with Russia, already becoming a member.
Eugene Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Private Military Company, emphasized that instead of "demilitarizing" Ukraine, Russia has provoked an arms buildup in Kiev, substantially increasing the number of tanks and trained soldiers.
Zatulin also recognized that the current Western support makes it impossible for Russia to seize Ukraine. The Russian leadership, though not openly, seems to understand this situation.
President Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had previously stated Russia's objectives as including the de facto recognition of the annexation of Ukrainian regions and ensuring the safety of the population in these regions. Recent demands from Moscow to Kiev have focused on Ukraine abandoning its plans to join the EU and NATO, recognizing "new territorial realities", and the Western countries halting their weapon supplies. Putin himself stated that peace talks with Ukraine could only begin with the recognition of these "geopolitical realities".
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