The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, wasn't ready for negotiations with Ukraine, neither before the full-scale attack, nor now. His goal was to eliminate the Ukrainian government. John Sullivan, former US ambassador to Moscow, said in an interview with the BBC.

"Vladimir Putin "wasn't interested in negotiating before the war. He's still not interested in negotiating", said Sullivan. "They demanded security guarantees for Russia but wouldn't talk constructively about security for Ukraine. They never moved beyond their talking points… it was a charade".

At the same time, he pointed out that Despite the failures of Moscow's self-declared special military operation, Mr. Sullivan says the goals initially declared by the Kremlin remain the same - to "de-Nazify" and "demilitarise" Ukraine. He interprets that as "removing the government in Kyiv and subjugating the Ukrainian people". The diplomat pointed out that the Kremlin's goals had not changed, and attempts to negotiate with Russian counterparts to prevent a war had come to nothing.

"He has to be convinced that he can't win," says Mr Sullivan. "Mr Putin doesn't want an off-ramp. The goals of this special military operation will be achieved. He says that all the time," Sullivan said.