Vladimir Putin had three options: accept the Ukrainian offer of a ceasefire, but lose the initiative on the front; reject it and risk the hostility of Donald Trump; or try to stand down so that he could continue the fight as long as possible. He chose the third option, analyzes the British The Telegraph.

By praising the US president and the idea of ​​stopping the war, Putin hopes to remain in Trump's good graces. However, his current emphasis on the "nuances" that need to be taken into account should be a wake-up call.

This is a classic Russian negotiating tactic – as any diplomat who has ever had conversations with Sergei Lavrov will attest.

By breaking down each proposal into an infinite number of components, Putin will try to appear cooperative, while in fact buying time, slowing down negotiations, and trying to exploit the situation on the ground to extract maximum concessions.

Trump and his cabinet now face a test of resolve and credibility.

They could ignore Putin’s excuses for “nuances” and demand that he immediately order a ceasefire—which, after all, is entirely within his power. That would mean showing the kind of impatience and pressure they have brought to bear on Volodymyr Zelensky. It could also include activating the so-called “bone-crushing” sanctions package that Senator Lindsey Graham has threatened if Russia does not back down.

As the article states, Putin is not invincible. He is losing more than 1.000 soldiers a day, the economy is overheating, and with current trends, he will face serious internal problems by 2026.

They could ignore Putin’s excuses for “nuances” and demand that he immediately order a ceasefire—which, after all, is entirely within his power. That would mean showing the kind of impatience and pressure they have brought to bear on Volodymyr Zelensky. It could also include activating the so-called “bone-crushing” sanctions package that Senator Lindsey Graham has threatened if Russia does not back down.

As the article states, Putin is not invincible. He is losing more than 1.000 soldiers a day, his economy is under pressure, and with current trends, he will face serious internal problems by 2026.

However, they could get caught up in Putin's exhausting discussions about the details. That would mean repeating the mistakes of American presidents since the Barack Obama era.

Putin has already hinted at the cards he will play. He claims that Ukrainian troops are surrounded in Kursk and have no way out except death or surrender – and he has called on the Ukrainian government to consider its fate. The clear implication is that they should be forced to surrender, rather than allowed to leave Russian territory.

He has no intention of ending the war as long as the Ukrainians have a negotiating trump card in the form of a presence in the area, the Telegraph claims.

Putin also demanded that Ukraine be prohibited from mobilizing its military during the proposed 30-day pause or from moving weapons to the front. This would effectively deprive Ukraine of the ability to defend itself against another Russian attack.

"This will seem like deja vu to Ukrainians. In 2014 and 2015, Putin twice took advantage of the encirclement of Ukrainian troops to impose disastrous ceasefire agreements on his terms," ​​the text states.

Then the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) sent unarmed observers to carefully count the explosions and measure the size of the fresh craters. They could not stop the war because they were repeatedly deceived.

Putin will try to drag the Americans into endless diplomacy, while at the same time using force to extract maximum concessions and prepare the ground for blaming Ukraine when negotiations or a possible ceasefire fail.

The ball is now in Trump's court, concludes the British Telegraph article.