Opinion | Putin Doesnt Actually Want Peace

There is, at last, a breakthrough in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.After weeks of tortuous recriminations and reprisals, encapsulated by that notorious scene in the Oval Office, the United States and Ukraine last week agreed on a 30-day cease-fire.Military assistance and intelligence sharing, once paused, have resumed.

Since President Trump took office, the saga of the war has played out almost entirely between America and Ukraine, with Russia somewhere in the background.Now all eyes are on Moscow.People hoping for peace are likely to be disappointed.

Despite President Vladimir Putin of Russia signaling readiness for a deal, nothing could be further from the truth.I’ve been talking to Kremlin insiders who have known Mr.

Putin for years and they all agreed: Mr.Putin has come to love war and can no longer imagine a future without it.

Instead, his plan is to drive a wedge between Ukraine and the United States, take advantage of Mr.Trump’s apparent friendliness to improve relations with America and keep the war machine running.Tuesday’s phone call between the two leaders will put that strategy to the test.

Whatever happens next, nobody should be fooled.Mr.

Putin has no desire to end the war.The mood in Moscow is war weary.That’s why Mr.

Trump’s comments about forcing Ukraine to negotiate were seized upon by Russian officials with such excitement: It offered them a way out of the war, complete with new American friendship.But Mr.

Putin sees things differently.According to the people I spoke to, he hasn’t given up on his original aim: to take Kyiv and overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The volatility of American support for Ukraine — along with small but steady advances on the battlefield and Russia’s general advantage in resources — makes this pipe dream seem more plausible, if still far-fetched.More important, though, is that the war has become Mr.Putin’s ultimate tool for controlling the country and ensuring no one steps out of li...