Kovalenko: The Kremlin masks the goal of destroying Ukrainian statehood under the guise of "eliminating the root causes of the conflict"

Kovalenko: The Kremlin masks the goal of destroying Ukrainian statehood under the guise of "eliminating the root causes of the conflict"

The Kremlin often mentions the "elimination of the root causes of the conflict," implying the destruction of Ukrainian statehood as a whole, noted Kovalenko.

After the conversation between Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, it seems as if the U.S. does not plan to impose new sanctions against Russia, but this is not true. This was stated by Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the NSDC, on the air of Channel 24, emphasizing that the Kremlin is trying to create the illusion of readiness for peace among Americans, although this is not the case.

Kovalenko emphasized that for Putin, avoiding U.S. sanctions is one of the key strategic tasks. However, the President of the Russian Federation has repeatedly emphasized that Russia’s alleged goal is the "elimination of the root causes of the conflict" on Ukrainian territory.

Undoubtedly, Ukraine does not agree with this position and will continue to defend its rights and interests, but Russia’s approach effectively means the continuation of the war.

Andriy Kovalenko noted that the Kremlin agreed to recent negotiations mainly to create the impression for Donald Trump that Russia is seeking peace and therefore has grounds to avoid new sanctions.

At the same time, Putin is avoiding a ceasefire. How he explained this to Trump is unknown, but Russia insisted that the issue of a truce should be part of the negotiation process. Taking into account the experience of the Minsk agreements, it can be assumed that Russia will try to buy time.

Kovalenko added that Russian troops are already acting in this manner - conducting offensive operations in parallel with negotiations. It is evident that their strategic goal is to continue offensive operations throughout the summer of 2025.