Putin activates Plan C in the Ukraine War

Putin’s two best scenarios have fallen.

Now he activates Plan C in the game about Ukraine, writes the Moscow Times.

But one thing at Trump is said to scare the Russians.

Officially, Russia has not changed its maximum goals with the war in Ukraine. The independent newspaper Moscow Times notes that the Kremlin continues to paint two scenarios as acceptable in its message to the Russian public.

Check the first is that Ukraine capitulates, gets a Russian -friendly regime and in practice becomes a sound state like Belarus.

Check the second, more restrained, is that Russia strengthens control over the four Ukrainian region infocloseede four Ukrainian region luhansk, Donetsk, Chenler and Zaporizjzja. which Putin has proclaimed Russian. At the same time, Ukraine’s political and military independence should be limited.

The problem, even with the latter scenario, is that it is difficult to achieve. Although Russia has headwinds on the battlefield, they still have a long way to control the four regions militarily.

Data: Third option

Now Moscow Times writeswith reference to five sources that have transparency in the Kremlin, that Putin has instead activated a third alternative. This plan C is about discrediting Zelenskyj in Donald Trump’s eyes and getting the United States to push Ukraine to hold elections.

In Kremlin’s opinion, Zelenskyj would have small chances to win and Russia hopes that the successor will be more willing to compromise.

– Zelenskyj will not give up any territories. We have to deal with the cause of the problem. He has to go away, a source tells the Moscow Times.

According to the newspaper’s report, the Kremlin considers itself to have been successful with Plan C and takes on the honor of the chaos on February 28 when Zelenskyj was attacked by Trump and JD Vance and was thrown out of the White House.

In the origin of the drama, it was also clear that Trump, at least outward, had embraced the Russian narrative. Just just over a week before the collapse in the Oval Room, he called Zelenskyj “a dictator who refuses to hold elections”.

But the new strategy is a balancing act for Putin. Attempts to win time by pulling out at the ceasefire negotiations can strike back, Fears Moscow Times sources.

– If we miss this opportunity, Trump can not just lose interest in an agreement. He can explode in anger. Then Biden will appear as a nice Santa Claus in comparison to an insane Trump, says an informant near the Russian Foreign Ministry to the newspaper.

The turn at Trump

This weekend, a turnaround was also seen in Trump’s official statements about the negotiations. After a golf round with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, he himself called NBC News and said he was “very angry” and “cursed” at Putin. Stubb later told British media that the US president “is starting to lose patience”.

The reason for Trump’s play was that last week Putin suggested that Zelenskyj should be driven away from the presidential post and replaced by an international transitional government that announces new elections – thus fully in line with Russia’s plan C.

But Trump threatened with sanctions instead.

– If Russia and I cannot reach an agreement to stop the bloodstream in Ukraine and if I think it is Russia’s fault, which it does not have to be, I will set up secondary tariffs on all oil leaving Russia. This would mean that anyone who buys oil from Russia cannot do business in the United States. To be 25-50 percent customs on all oil, he told NBC.

As late as Sunday However, reported The Economist That Zelenskyj has begun to prepare for elections in Ukraine. According to the newspaper’s Ukrainian sources, he sketches on a scenario where a ceasefire comes into force around April 20 – a date also Alexander Stubb mentioned after the meeting with Trump.

It could cause Ukraine to abolish the laws of war and aim for a choice during late summer.