Russian state television presenter Margarita Simonyan, who is also the editor-in-chief of RT channel, warned that "a major war is expected to begin by the end of winter, following warnings issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin." In a video that circulated on Twitter on Sunday, Simonyan indicated that the conflict between Russia and the West, as well as Ukraine, could escalate if Putin's demands are not met.
She highlighted the peace talk demands announced by Putin in January of last year and argued that neither side seems willing to back down, which would lead to a larger conflict. On January 25, Putin stated that he is ready to negotiate with Ukraine and the West to end the conflict, but insisted that the failure of negotiations is not his responsibility.
Putin remarked, "We are ready to negotiate with all parties involved about acceptable solutions, but it is up to them; we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are." He continued, "I believe we are moving in the right direction, we are defending our national interests and the interests of our people; we have no choice but to protect our citizens."
Simonyan noted, "In December, Putin expressed the way we see things precisely in life, and to prevent things from going terribly wrong right now, our concerns must be taken into account." She added, "Remember how things were going a year ago, two months before the start of the military operation; what was the result of ignoring that? The military operation was a result of that."
The Ukrainian War commenced on February 24, under President Vladimir Putin's orders. The operation has caused one of the bloodiest conflicts in Europe since World War II. The war in Ukraine has resulted in the largest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. As of now, there is no sign of hope for an end to the war between the two sides.
The Kremlin claims it will fight until all of its goals are achieved. For its part, Kyiv states that it will not rest until the last Russian soldier withdraws from its territory, including the Crimea peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.
