Putin's main goal

It is no coincidence that before the attack on Ukraine, Putin claimed that "all the peoples of Ukraine" should be given the right to "determine their own destiny."

Russian President Vladimir Putin told a joint news conference with Alexander Lukashenko that negotiations with Ukraine had "reached a stalemate" over Crimea, Sevastopol and Donbas - that the Ukrainian side had initially agreed to exclude these territories from the international guarantee regime to be delivered to Ukraine. and then renounced this position. And again everything stopped.

We must understand that Vladimir Putin himself speaks through diplomatic allegories. And for him, the "exclusion" of Crimea, Sevastopol and Donbas from the guarantee regime is probably, above all, the Ukrainian recognition of the "Russian status" of Crimea and the "independence" of the "people's republics".

It is no coincidence that the demand to "resolve the issue" of Crimea and Donbas has always been one of Moscow's main demands in negotiations with Ukraine - and will not be on the agenda anywhere. Perhaps, of course, there is an illusion that Putin will submit to Ukraine's neutrality and its renunciation of NATO. But as soon as the Ukrainian delegation declares its consent to neutrality, Crimea appears on the table. That is the recognition of Russia's status in Crimea, and not the status postponed for 15 years, as proposed by the Ukrainian negotiators. No more and no less.

The question arises why Vladimir Putin is so desperate because of this Ukrainian agreement with the "Russian status" of Crimea. And why is this a fundamental issue for him in the negotiations. But in his view of the goals of the war against Ukraine, Putin is logical, recognizing Ukraine's "Russian status" of Crimea for him, I'm sure, is not nonsense, but a goal.

First, such recognition, according to the Russian president, should encourage other countries to recognize Russia's "sovereignty over Crimea." Even if Western countries do not, Ukraine's recognition of Crimea is likely to open up opportunities for similar decisions by Kremlin allies. And every such step will convince the world that the issue of Crimea has been resolved once and for all, if Ukraine has already given up this territory.

Secondly, I am sure that such recognition will be an opportunity for the Russian president to say that one of the main goals of the "special operation" has been fulfilled, that "Russian Crimea" is safe. Even if Ukraine suddenly joins NATO, it will not return Crimea by force, because it agreed that it is not its territory. So Putin prevented the third world.

And third, it is the same "salami policy". Today, Ukraine recognizes the status of Crimea as Russian territory and sets a precedent for the Ukrainian state itself to recognize the fact of

annexation of its territories. And tomorrow, I am sure, Moscow will join Donbas and also demand that Ukraine agree to Russia's status in Donbas. And the day after tomorrow, a "referendum on joining Russia" will be held in any "Kherson People's Republic" - and it is also proposed to recognize its entry into Russia.

It is no coincidence that before the attack on Ukraine, Putin claimed that "all the peoples of Ukraine" should be given the right to "determine their own destiny." And what could be this fate, except to join the Russian Federation - better, with the consent of Ukraine.

Therefore, I think Putin will not give up his demand to recognize "Russian" Crimea. For him, recognizing Crimea, means giving him the opportunity to continue destroying Ukraine. After all, that is probably his main goal.