StratCom explainer: Russia needs talks not for peace, but for strengthening of its army

That's according to the Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security (StratCom), Ukrinform reports.

"At the turn of 2021/22, Ukraine, together with partners, made every effort to prevent the escalation of Russian aggression. However, Putin did not listen and started a full-scale war, destabilizing not only the region, but the whole world," the Center said in a post on Facebook.

It added that Russia is not committed to restoring peace. "An attempt at peace talks in Istanbul were destroyed by Russia's war crimes in Bucha and Irpin. Continuing the armed terror against Ukraine, Putin's army destroys the opportunities for dialogue today as well," the post said.

According to StratCom, Putin ignored Ukraine's warnings about the impossibility of negotiations with him in the event of an attempt to annex Ukrainian territory.

"The Kremlin continues to seek to destroy Ukraine, Moscow is not ready to negotiate anything apart from the surrender of Kyiv. There is currently no 'peace' option with the Putin regime," the post said.

The fakes about Russia's readiness for negotiations are nothing but a "war trick" in the Kremlin's strategy, StratCom said. Its purpose is to weaken support for Ukraine, sow doubts and contradictions between Kyiv's allies, and buy time to prepare a new escalation, it added.

"In January 1943, the Allies of the Anti-Hitler Coalition agreed on the principle of unconditional surrender of Germany, which meant renouncing compromise with evil. Today, the conditions of the war dictate a similar logic: the Russian aggressor can only be defeated, not negotiated with," StratCom said.