As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, he said he hopes to meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin " Trump expressed his belief that Putin would be open to compromise, since the Russian leader certainly cannot be "

Moscow sees these potential negotiations as a way to achieve its long-standing goal of subjugating Ukraine rather than reaching a true compromise.. The Kremlin is seeking to harness America's desire for peace to help it achieve that goal, said Ivana Stradner, a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies..

Even though Moscow says it strives for peace, the Kremlin continues to make maximalist demands. In recent months, Putin has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine must cede territory and abandon any hope of joining NATO.. The Russian leader argues that any agreement should be based on the draft agreement discussed in Istanbul in the spring of 2022.

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" Then Russia will be free to intimidate its younger neighbor, including in a potential further war,” Stradner said..

Putin's goal to dominate Ukraine will not change. He sees this as fundamental to Russia's place in the world and to his own legacy as a modern tsar. To anticipate Putin's next steps, Washington must understand how he thinks.

" But Moscow understands that Trump wants to be seen as a “deal maker” who managed to end a conflict that his predecessor could not resolve,” Stradner adds..

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The new American president should focus on steps aimed at increasing the leverage of the United States and Ukraine. He should impose more sanctions on Russia and give Ukraine more weapons. Trump should not be deceived by Moscow. Not a single dialogue will change Putin’s ambitions, the author concluded.

Let us recall that Bloomberg named Putin’s demands in possible negotiations with Trump. Russia's minimum demands are a neutral Ukraine, an end to further NATO expansion into post-Soviet countries and strict restrictions on the size of the Ukrainian army, says political analyst Pavel Danilin, who cooperates with the Kremlin..