Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome John Lough, Head of Foreign Policy & International Partnerships at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre. He warns that Moscow sees negotiations, not as a genuine pathway to peace, but rather a continuation of Russia’s broader political calculus shaped by perceived leverage, battlefield realities, and long‑term objectives. He emphasises the psychological and material dimensions of the conflict, from territorial symbolism to economic strain, and traces the limits of Russian expectations against Ukrainian resolve.
