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BBC analysis: What recent Ukraine talks revealed about Putin's mental state
2025-12-04 09:11:26 / BOTA
By Steve Rosenberg – BBC Russia Editor
The latest round of diplomacy over Ukraine has offered some clear signs of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state of mind and intentions. What is clear is that he is not yet ready to sign a peace agreement, at least not now and certainly not on the basis of current proposals.
After five hours of talks in Moscow between Putin, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's adviser Jared Kushner, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov declared: "No compromise version has been found."
This lack of compromise is not surprising, given Putin's harsh rhetoric in recent days. He has called Ukraine's leaders a "junta of thieves," accused Europeans of sabotaging peace efforts, and insisted that Russia holds the initiative on the battlefield.
Russian state television has repeatedly shown Putin dressed in military uniform, studying frontline maps and announcing military advances that Ukraine and international observers have denied.
After nearly four years of Russia's complete occupation of Ukraine, despite heavy losses and the blow to the Russian economy, Putin seems convinced that he is on the path to victory and that this is not the time to stop. Or, at least, that's what he wants the West to believe: That nothing can stop him from achieving his goals.
I have said it before, Putin often reminds me of a car without brakes, without a steering wheel and without a reverse gear, a vehicle speeding down the highway, with no way to turn. Even today, after four years of war, there is no sign that the "Putin-mobile" is stopping or changing direction.
He wants his opponents to believe that no one can force him to change course: Not European leaders, not the Trump administration, not President Zelensky.
But cars need fuel. And wars need money. For now, despite international sanctions, the Russian government is still managing to finance its “special military operation,” the war against Ukraine. However, economic pressures are mounting: oil and gas revenues are falling, while the budget deficit is growing.
Even Putin himself has acknowledged the problems, speaking of "imbalances" in the economy.
"In some sectors, production has not only not grown this year, but has even fallen. Are we satisfied with these trends? No," he said.
The big question remains: At what point, if at all, will economic concerns begin to affect the Kremlin's calculations on the battlefield?
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