The most important thing in war is to achieve political victory rather than military results.
Putin subtly changed his position on the issue, willing to meet zelenskiy and sign a peace document based on the war situation. Over the past forty-eight hours, there have been several slightly comforting messages from the battlefields of Europe, and I am sure that all those who love peace and hope that the war will soon end will take a breather for the time being. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan in a phone conversation that he had no objection to meeting Ukrainian President Zelenskiy, according to the Russian News Agency on March 13.
Second, on March 12, local time, Podoriak, a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, said in an interview that after the third round of negotiations, the two sides conducted a series of communications through video and set up a working group, and the two sides were close to reaching a compromise on signing relevant agreements.
Thirdly, Sergei Slosky Russia-Ukraine talks A member of the Russian delegation said on March 13 that substantial progress had been made with Ukraine in the talks and he hoped to translate into the common position of the two delegations, further for the signing of the document. The statement also said the documents signed during the talks could serve as a basis for easing tensions. Everyone is paying attention to this time, and the news released by Turkey, Ukraine and Russia seems to be more positive.
What's behind this positive news? What are the reasons for the concessions made by both sides? This is the real battlefield situation. Some time ago, Zelenskiy repeatedly said: "I want to meet with Putin and negotiate directly, but the Russian side has not made any response." Why? Because the goal on the battlefield has not been fully and completely achieved, there will be fish sneaking out of the net. Now Putin has changed his attitude and is willing to talk to Zelenskiy. Why? Because I have enough chips in my hand.
From the battlefield, every position of time and space, every effective bargaining chip in hand. Now there are many living forces of the army in Ukraine, and you see the nature of this special military operation carried out by Russia, such a nature, untouchable to life and death, russia is very clear. Essentially, it was a knife-wielding robbery. Considering the current situation on the battlefield, I think Putin has basically achieved a lot. On the evening of March 13, Beijing time, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued the 37th briefing on military operations. The report notes that Russian forces continue to advance on the ground front and control areas such as Pavlovka. On the morning of March 13, Russian high-precision long-range weapons attacked two Ukrainian military training facilities, expelling as many as 180 foreign mercenaries and a large number of foreign weapons. In the afternoon, the Russian Air Force shot down a Russian warplane and 11 Ukrainian Air Force "Xinpi" drones. As at the date of the present report, a total of 3,736 Ukrainian military infrastructures were destroyed during the operation. According to all sources, the Russian attack on Mariupol has entered the stage of street fighting, with heavy artillery and tanks rolling in, reflecting the sinking pattern of the Battle of Eastern Ghouta in Syria, so it is only a matter of time before the city is occupied. And it won't be long.
In the direction of Kharkov, although the Russian ground offensive slowed down, since the occupation of important towns in southeastern Kharkiv, as well as key nodes, the Ukrainian army stationed there has almost become a lone soldier. Even if they are determined to resist, their morale and combat effectiveness will gradually weaken under the continuous air raids and shelling.
In the direction of Donetsk and Luhansk, the 53rd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Army has been annihilated, and other major forces have been greatly weakened. They can only passively defend, not counterattack. If they retreated in a hurry, they would be chased by the Russian army with a large knife. Therefore, it is clear that Russia's strategy today is to fight and negotiate. It's not a soft tactic, it shows that Russia knows how to get what you don't get on the battlefield, what you don't get at the negotiating table.
Finally, I would like to summarize in three sentences. The first sentence was written by the German historian Johann Munson. The most important thing in war is to achieve political results, not military victories. Second sentence, the ancient Roman historian Salustra. Only the victor can buy peace with war. "Peace breeds war, and war breeds peace."