“It was an attempt to get out of the situation”: expert explains why Putin spoke about ending the war

Political strategist Mikhail Sheitelman explained that the elites are dissatisfied with Putin, which is why he began to calm them, stating that the Ukrainian conflict is nearing its end—but this does not mean the end of the war, reports Politeka.

He discussed this on his blog:

"The peaceful rhetoric from the Russians, it seems to me, is not accidental at all. Over the past month or month and a half, we’ve talked about Remeslo, about Victoria Bonya, about all these military bloggers who suddenly became anti-war, and about Simonyan, who suddenly started singing about Putin’s successor. Looking at all this, I said that Putin has a problem—he’s being cornered. Putin, of course, has no intention of surrendering to these people. He is trying to find a solution, a way out of the situation. And I think this was an attempt to find a way out. Putin decided to become a peacemaker, to change his image," Sheitelman reflects.

Previously, he reminds, Putin was a military man, wore his uniform, then disappeared for four months. The elite began criticizing him, and now Putin has decided to become a peacemaker, speaking in a completely different way. At first, the expert notes, Putin begged for a truce on May 9, then said he was ready to meet Mr. Zelensky, who apparently is no longer illegitimate, to sign a treaty. He also wants to negotiate with the EU and stated that the Ukrainian conflict is ending.

"Do you think he wants peace? No, of course not. This is an attempt to wiggle out in front of his own elite, to show them that no one is really fighting, that Putin is going to negotiate. It’s like saying: 'What, are you picking on me? Why are you attacking me on all social media? I’m not for the war myself. I’m against the war. I’ve already—almost—reached an agreement with Zelensky, almost with Schröder. Look, there’s already been a truce for three days. I’ve arranged everything. I did all of this, guys.' This is Putin’s idea of how to escape not the war itself, but the pressure within the country. This is his maneuver," explains Mikhail Sheitelman.

However, the expert warns, if the elites—the inner opposition—agree to everything now, giving Putin a carte blanche, a chance to negotiate to end the war (and they most likely will), then Putin will simply get rid of them all.