Russia Ready To Play 'Hard Bargain' With Trump Over Ukraine

Fyodor Lukyanovvaldai Discussion Club Research Director

In the West, the idea came from somewhere that it’s important to Putin to reach an agreement and end things. This is not the case,

said Fyodor Lukyanov, who hosted a forum with Putin in November and heads Moscow's Council for Foreign and Defense policies

Volodymyr Zelenskyyukrainian President

We cannot let someone decide something for us,

Zelenskyy told AP,

In the tradeoff between Putin and domestic oil producers, I'm pretty sure which choice Trump will make,

said Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin

Laurie Bristowrussia Sir

Engagement is not the same as negotiation,

said Sir Laurie Bristow, British ambassador to Russia from 2016-20, describing Russia's strategy as "what's mine is mine

If you look at the current situation, regardless of the huge money, regardless of the huge weapon deliveries which have been poured into Ukraine, the battlefield reality shows the advance of the Russians,

Szijjártó said

The only person that Putin will really want to talk to – because he’s kind of denigrated other leaders that are out there – is President Trump, and President Trump’s the only one who can bring this to a conclusion,

Kellogg told "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Sunday

If he doesn’t have the ability, no one has the ability,

Foreign Minister Szijjártó said

So, if you really think that Ukraine should negotiate in its best shape, then we have to stop the war today because tomorrow Ukraine will be in a weaker position than today,

Szijjártó told Fox News Digital

The chance of them getting their nuclear weapons back is somewhere between slim and none,

Kellogg told Fox News Digital

There are indeed contacts between individual departments, and they have intensified recently, but I cannot tell you any other details."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday

His temperament and character, combined with shifting political, military, and economic conditions around the war, could make an ultimatum strategy viable again,

he wrote

We'll be speaking, and I think we'll perhaps do something that'll be significant. We want to end that war,

he said last week

It is up to [Donald] Trump and his team to make a decision,

he said