The Russian Federation will try to step up pressure to force Ukraine into negotiations, Report informs referring to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated at a press conference in Ankara on April 7 that Russia does not refuse to negotiate but that negotiations can only be based on Russia’s claimed “legitimate” interests and concerns.
“Concerns about losing more occupied territory in Ukraine during an expected upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive may be prompting the Kremlin to intensify an ongoing information operation intended to pressure the West to offer preemptive concessions and coerce Ukraine into negotiations on conditions more favorable to Russia,” reads the report.