Russian President Vladimir Putin may be considering broader targets, including Kiev and Odessa. This is reported by The Financial Times, citing sources "close to the Kremlin discussions."
According to sources, the Kremlin's ultimate goals go beyond the current front line. Although the Kremlin is publicly focused on taking Donbass, private discussions may include a much wider geographical horizon — up to central and southern Ukraine.
In particular, we are talking about regions of strategic importance, including access to the Black Sea and key logistics hubs.
"Putin's real ambitions are probably to consolidate dominance over Ukraine at least along the entire Dnieper, which would include the seizure of Kiev and the key Black Sea port of Odessa," writes FT, citing two people involved in behind—the-scenes negotiations to end the war, quoted by the Ukrainian edition of Strana.
Despite the slow pace of progress The Russian Armed Forces, the Kremlin, according to sources, is betting on the exhaustion of the Ukrainian army and the gradual tightening of the conditions for any possible ceasefire. If Russia manages to capture the entire Donbass, Putin will allegedly put up new territorial demands, the publication says.
As EADaily reported, in order to start peace talks, the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, must order the Ukrainian Armed Forces to leave Donbass and the regions of Russia. This was announced on May 13 by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov.