Putin wants to freeze war to keep troops in Ukraine and pressure Europe – analyst

Patrick Bolder, a Dutch military analyst, defense and security expert, and strategic advisor at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, said this in an interview with Ukrinform. "Putin does not want the war to end. He wants to keep it frozen, because that would allow him to maintain a military presence in Ukraine and exert varying degrees of pressure on European countries and Trump, whenever it suits him," he said. According to the expert, "in fact, he [Putin] wants to return to the situation that existed between 2014 and 2022, but with more terror and a conflict in the Donbas that would remain localized." "He likes this model. Just look at Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.