Putin is planning an offensive deep into Ukraine.

The team of The New York Times conducted an analysis of the progress of peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States and concluded that Russian leader Vladimir Putin may initiate another offensive deep into Ukraine if Kyiv agrees to the withdrawal of its military forces from the Donetsk region.

Main theses:

• Putin wants to take away from Ukraine one of its main assets – strong fortifications in the Donetsk region.
• At the same time, Kyiv currently does not plan to agree to this demand.

Putin wants to mislead Ukraine and the USA On February 1, the next round of negotiations will begin in Abu Dhabi with the assistance of the team of American President Donald Trump.

However, American analysts are inclined to think that Moscow is only pretending that it is making efforts to find peaceful options.

It is no secret that the Kremlin actively insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk region.

Experts fear that the abandonment of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk will deprive Kyiv of the most powerful line of defense in the east. The part of Donetsk Oblast still controlled by Ukraine is one of the most heavily fortified frontline areas, as defenses have been in place since 2014, long before Russia’s full-scale invasion.

There is a significant probability that Putin will not abide by the terms of the peace agreement after the alleged transfer of part of the Ukrainian territories to Russia.

The head of state understands that his army will be in the optimal strategic position to start a new, rapid invasion deep into the weakened Ukraine.

For this reason, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in no hurry to make such difficult compromises for the sake of imaginary peace.