Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he is in a strong position ahead of a phone call with Donald Trump scheduled for Monday, Bloomberg reports.
Putin is confident that his forces will be able to break through Ukrainian defenses by the end of the year to take full control of the four regions he has declared part of Russia, a source familiar with the Russian president's mood told the agency.
This means that the Russian president is unlikely to make any significant concessions to Trump, the publication commented. As Bloomberg notes, European officials are concerned that the US president may try to push for a "deal at any cost".
Trump has been pushing for a quick end to the war, and Putin has given no indication that he is ready to stop fighting as Russian troops slowly advance on the battlefield.
Despite all the talk of a ceasefire, Putin is ready for a prolonged war if necessary to achieve his goals and is optimistic about the prospect of further US sanctions, sources close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg.
The leaders of Germany, France and Britain tried to explain to the US president in a phone call on Friday that Putin was leading him by the nose, a European official said. They hope Trump will understand that he risks looking like a loser if he forces a bad deal on Ukraine, the source added.
Zelensky also participated in the call on Friday, but he seemed despondent and exhausted by the events of the past week, the source said. Trump promised to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his NATO allies as soon as he finishes his call with Putin.