The Russian president Vladimir Putin insists on achieving its original goals in Ukraine through military force, wants outright victory, despite Western perceptions of seeking compromise, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says in its latest update.

According to ISW, neither Russia’s unsuccessful attempts to “freeze” Ukraine and Europe, nor the “failures of its major military efforts” they persuaded him to negotiate.

“Putin remains focused on achieving his original war aims through a protracted conflict in which he is winning, either by imposing his will on Ukraine by force or by bending Ukrainian sentiment after the West abandons Kiev,” ISW wrote.

The Institute estimates that only a series of Ukrainian victories can persuade Putin to negotiate on terms other than achieving his territorial ambitions in Ukraine. “There is reason to expect that Ukrainian forces can, in fact, make gains through counterattacks,” the ISW said.

In the meantime, the urgent convening of the UN Security Council is requested by Ukraine after the agreement of the Russian president, Vladimir Putinby Alexander Lukashenko for deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.

For Moscow, this decision of the Russian president is the Russian response to the ever-increasing military reinforcement of the West towards Kiev. Vladimir Putin himself, speaking on Saturday in a television interview, announced the agreement with Minsk, stressing that the reason for his decision was Britain’s intention to supply depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine. At the same time, according to the Russian president, the United States has regularly deployed nuclear weapons in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

“There is nothing unusual here: the United States has been doing this for decades. They have been developing their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies for a long time,” said the Russian president, adding that “we agreed to do the same, without violating our commitments. I emphasize, without violating our international commitments on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.”