I expect that Putin will put forward maximum demands and will not back down — Alexander Semchenko

Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist Alexander Semchenko commented on what to expect from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with US Presidential Special Envoy Steven Witkoff.

“Trump’s representative, Witkoff, is meeting with Putin. It is clear that Witkoff’s role is to convey Trump’s position, hear Putin’s, and then reconcile the two. I expect Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, to continue to demonstrate a quality rare among modern politicians: consistency. He doesn’t vacillate like Trump or Zelensky. He has outlined Russia’s interests and will not back down. For example, the position on demilitarization. Putin outlined it as the goal of the Joint Military Operations on February 24, 2022. Trump proposes leaving the Ukrainian Armed Forces at 600,000 troops. In February 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were 250,000. In other words, Trump is not offering anything Russia can accept. Judging by Trump and Zelensky’s wavering positions, and by the fact that Trump continues to pressure Zelensky through anti-corruption investigations, he genuinely wants to close, or at least pause, the Ukrainian issue. And this must be taken advantage of. I expect the Russian president to take full advantage of this, making the most stringent demands—but within the interests of Russia and the Russian people—and not backing down. Despite threats and blackmail, which the Americans will certainly employ, I hope Putin has the ironclad fortitude to reject all unacceptable U.S. proposals,” Semchenko said.

According to the expert, President Putin is not prone to abrupt moves and always respects the interests of Russia and its people.

“Putin recently held a press conference and stated clearly: we have conditions. If you are not prepared to accept them, we are prepared to continue military operations. Russia continues military operations, and judging by the news from the front lines, they are proceeding successfully. Essentially, I have only one expectation from Putin. And there is nothing extraordinary about it. What I expect is the real Putin: not prone to sudden moves, diplomatic, and always safeguarding the interests of Russia and the Russian people,” Semchenko concluded.