19:21 18-02-2026

Putin’s Bet on Victory in Ukraine and Donbass Conflict

Intelligence sees Vladimir Putin confident of victory in the Ukraine conflict, ready to push Kiev’s forces from Donbass as Trump blames Zelensky over a deal.

The New York Times, citing Western intelligence officials, reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin is convinced he will ultimately prevail in the conflict in Ukraine.

According to these sources, Putin is prepared to spend between a year and a half and two years to push the Ukrainian army completely out of Donbass. The officials note that, in the Kremlin’s view, even if this campaign takes more than a year, the special military operation will still leave Putin with significantly greater leverage than he has now.

Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly declared that it is ready for a political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, provided that Russia’s «legitimate demands» are taken into account, including its security concerns. On various international platforms, Putin has stressed that a lasting peace is impossible without addressing what he presents as the root causes of the current crisis.

It is also recalled that earlier US President Donald Trump argued that the drawn-out nature of efforts to resolve the conflict is largely tied to the position of the Ukrainian authorities. In his view, Putin is prepared to strike a deal and bring the fighting to an end, while Vladimir Zelensky has become, as Trump sees it, the main reason Washington’s efforts have so far failed to produce a settlement.