Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Prystaiko said that the Russians masterfully outwitted the American administration, "leaving us in a constant war and constant fire".
He expressed the opinion that Ukraine followed the right tactic when it asked Russia to first stop the war and then sit at the negotiating table to resolve the details.
However, Prystaiko is confident that Russia still does not want a ceasefire.
„They know that the only pressure they can put on us is military", the diplomat said.
He does not rule out the possibility that if Russia manages to make a major breakthrough on the front, extraordinary negotiations should be held and Ukraine should agree to many things that the Ukrainian government currently rejects.
Prystaiko expressed the opinion that Putin is trying to act "as a tyrant and absolute ruler of Russia".
"He is trying to act in this way, intimidating a part of society, including the elite. But all this is based on the premise that a dictator must be successful. That is why they exaggerate their successes on the front", the former foreign minister emphasized.
That is why, Prystaiko said, the Kremlin leader presents the capture of villages and towns in the Donetsk region as a "huge victory".
"He needs a victory, he needs to organize a victory parade. Otherwise, sooner or later, as they say, the refrigerator will start beating the TV," the diplomat added.