Experts: Putin confirmed his goal to destroy the Ukrainian state
Putin's statements reject the legal fact that the Russian Federation has recognized Ukraine's sovereignty.
This is what experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) say .
In their opinion, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to reject the idea of Ukrainian sovereignty, which is incompatible with the negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, and aims to destroy the Ukrainian state. Experts say:
His statements reject the legal fact that the Russian Federation has recognized the sovereignty of Ukraine and that the Ukrainian people exist as a separate nation. Putin's perpetuation of the narrative that Ukraine and Russia are a single people, divided into different states by arbitrary historical circumstances, testifies to his enduring goal to destroy the Ukrainian state and erase the notion of a Ukrainian people.
In addition, analysts say that Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner group may continue to develop its air combat capabilities and are armed with more sophisticated equipment on a par with conventional Russian armed forces. This makes PMCs less and less controllable military unit.