President Putin’s announcement that Russian troops have been withdrawn from Ukrainian borders makes it more likely that talks will resume following the presidential elections on 25 May, according to IHC Inc., expert.
“This latest move is in keeping with Putin’s previous call to postpone the independence referenda in eastern Ukraine, and his more favourable stance to Ukraine’s presidential elections,” Alisa Lockwood, Head of Europe/CIS Country Risk, IHS Country Risk, in a report titled Russian troops withdrawal from Ukrainian border.
“All of these developments suggest that Russian a does not view military intervention as necessary in order to achieve its goals – primarily, to maintain influence over Ukraine and whoever comes to power in Kiev. Rather, Russia will leverage the situation in eastern Ukraine to continue pushing for constitutional change and federalization of the country. Meanwhile however, violence and disruption caused by the separatists will prove difficult to contain, given the grassroots nature of certain parts of the movement, and an apparent shift to more insurgency-type tactics.”