The Blubber

Fresh from an election where he ran essentially unopposed, Russia’s Vladimir Putin emerged with strong words against the West, declaring that peace in Ukraine would only happen on his terms. He also cautioned that if NATO deployed troops, it could lead to nuclear conflict.

Putin’s widely expected landslide victory in the carefully managed vote was no surprise. Viable opponents have been jailed, barred, or are deceased. Yet, post-election, his rhetoric has intensified, suggesting that Russians would only accept an outright victory in Ukraine or, failing that, a peace dictated by Moscow.

“We support peace talks…but not because the enemy is weak,” Putin stated at a news conference after officials announced his unprecedented 87% win. “We support them if they are genuinely serious about building peaceful, neighborly relations in the long term, and not just pausing for 1½ to two years to rearm.”

Political analysts noted that as Western nations hesitate to provide ongoing aid to Ukraine and support for Kyiv becomes a partisan issue in the U.S., Putin has floated the prospect of a cease-fire, believing he negotiates from a position of strength.

Ukraine, outmatched and outgunned, now fires only about two shells for every 10 fired by Russia, according to Western intelligence. Putin’s minimum demand in any peace deal is likely to secure control of Crimea, annexed by Moscow a decade ago, along with four areas in Ukraine’s east and south claimed by Russia in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected peace talks until Russia withdraws its troops, warning that any pause in hostilities would allow Russia to rearm and launch further attacks.

Western nations condemned Moscow’s expansion of the presidential election into Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The European Union stated it “does not and will never recognize either the holding of these so-called elections in the territories of Ukraine or their results. They are null and void and cannot produce any legal effect whatsoever.”

The U.S. described the election process as “obviously not free nor fair.”

The Kremlin denied allegations of intimidation and repression, calling them “baseless” and stating the outcome reflected “the unique level of public support for the president.”