The Russian autocrat has restructured the country’s economy for war purposes to such an extent that the avenues for retreat are becoming increasingly restricted.
Putin / © Getty Images
Dictator Putin continues to weaken Russia through the full-scale war against Ukraine and may find himself facing a dilemma of his own making.
This was stated by former US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker in an interview with the LIGA.net project.
According to him, the Russian autocrat has reoriented the nation’s economy so profoundly to meet wartime demands that the options for withdrawal are diminishing with each passing day.
“He has invested so much in this, reconfiguring the Russian economy to sustain this conflict, that he is increasingly faced with a choice: either continue the war and pursue his vision, or preserve the Russian state,” Volker remarked.
During their conversation, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin inquired whether such a choice could genuinely confront Putin.
The American diplomat responded affirmatively, elaborating on the potential consequences of the Kremlin’s current policies.
“He might weaken it to the point where he faces a choice: to destroy the Russian state for the sake of his vision and personal legacy, or to pause and stabilize the country. I believe this is the kind of decision he will have to make,” he added.
In Volker’s estimation, Putin still operates under the assumption that Western nations remain weak and divided, thus believing that merely escalating pressure will suffice to achieve his objectives.
However, according to the diplomat, actual events suggest the contrary, failing to corroborate the Kremlin’s calculations.
An additional challenge for the Russian leadership, as Volker sees it, will even be the potential cessation of hostilities. In such a scenario, Russia would need to reintegrate hundreds of thousands of mobilized soldiers and recruited prisoners returning from the front lines into civilian life.
It was previously reported that dictator Putin’s refusal to consider direct negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could come at a significant cost to Russia.
We previously informed that societal weariness with the war against Ukraine is intensifying in Russia, and official propaganda is increasingly losing the trust of citizens.
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