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Putin seeks new offensive in Ukraine, but the price for Russia could be too high
The war in Ukraine is no longer a distant conflict for Russian citizens, but is increasingly felt in their daily lives. Vladimir Putin is at his lowest level of popularity in four years, while the Kremlin faces growing discontent, economic pressure and domestic insecurity.
Russians are facing fuel shortages, frequent power outages, empty store shelves and rising prices. One of the country's most consumed products, potatoes, has seen its prices rise by 4.5 percent in just one month, another sign of the economic pressure on Russian households.
In this situation, the Russian leader is faced with a major dilemma: to seek a path to negotiations or to continue the military escalation in Ukraine. According to sources close to the Kremlin cited by the Reuters agency, Putin is under pressure to resume talks with Kiev, but at the same time he is preparing for new offensives in the coming months.
According to these sources, the recent Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russian territory, which have hit installations, oil depots, and ports, damaging fuel processing capacities, have increased the Russian president's anger.
In response, Russia has carried out two massive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, particularly on the capital Kiev, causing dozens of civilian casualties.
A source close to the Kremlin said that Putin recently rejected a proposal from several advisers to accept a ceasefire along the current front line. The Russian president remains focused on taking full control of the Donbas region, a goal he believes can be achieved in the near future.
However, an operation to fully occupy Donbas would require a new military mobilization in Russia, a politically risky decision for Putin, who has avoided a broad call to arms since the beginning of the war due to the high social cost.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia remains open to a diplomatic solution, but warned that Moscow has the capacity to continue military operations.
"Russia is ready for a peaceful solution, but has sufficient capacity to act independently and continue the military operation," Peskov said.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said after a phone call with Putin that the Russian leader wants to end the war and that a solution could be "closer than you think." During the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump also held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he discussed ideas for bringing peace closer.
However, Ukrainian intelligence estimates that Putin is preparing a new escalation in Ukraine and is even considering the possibility of a limited attack on a Western target, including a NATO base in one of the Baltic countries.
Although this scenario is considered dangerous and difficult to realize, some Western military analysts believe that such an action could be used by Moscow to create tensions within the Alliance and test its unity.
An attack on a NATO member country would trigger Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, according to which an attack on one member is considered an attack on the entire alliance. This remains one of the most sensitive points of the security crisis in Europe. / Adapted from 'Corriere Della Sera'
Une I sygjeroj putinit te marre per keshilltar bablokun tone neqoftese do te fitoje luften ne ukraine. Vetem ai i yni e nxjerr Rusine nga balta, njelloj sic e beri shqiperine yll qe po ndrit europen