Russian foreign minister says ‘still a long way to go’ in Ukraine war peace talks – Europe live

Despite ‘constructive’ trilateral talks, Russia is still pursuing its maximalist demands, including claims over Ukrainian territoryEstonia’s foreign intelligence service has released its annual assessment of the global security situation this morning, with a heavy focus on the threat from its neighbour Russia.The forecast says Russia is unlikely to launch a conventional attack against Nato states over the next year but to continue with various forms of hybrid warfare.“We see that Russia is setting long-term operational objectives in the war against Ukraine. This confirms that the so-called peace talk rhetoric is merely a tactic to buy time, and Russia has no intention of ending the war until its objectives are achieved.”“I do not know what the US assessment is based on. Putin would only make a proper deal in our view, if the economy or financial sector takes very heavy hits with, for example, additional sanctions, which would be directed towards oil and gas industry... If additional measures and pressure are applied, then maybe Putin’s calculus changes. But currently, we do not see any change in his thinking.”“We see that Russia’s economy has entered a downturn, this is fuelled by defence sector expanding at the expense of the contracting civilian economy and sanctions that amplify low productivity caused by outdated technology. While an economic crisis is a possibility, the total collapse of the Russian economy remains highly unlikely. A more plausible outcome is that financial considerations will carry much greater weight in political decision-making than before.” Continue reading...