Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov said that current efforts to initiate peace negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin are pointless since the Kremlin leader has no intention of stopping his nearly five-year war against Ukraine.
In an interview with the Russian Service of Radio Free Europe (RFE), Kasparov said that international efforts should be focused on helping Ukraine achieve victory.
According to him, this could lead to Putin’s downfall and a new chance for democracy in Russia.
“It’s one thing if talks have a chance to solve the problem, with mutual concessions. Putin’s plans have not changed. He has set himself the goal of liquidating Ukraine as an independent country and has not given up on that,” Kasparov said.
After retiring from chess, Kasparov became a prominent opposition figure in Russia before going into exile in 2013. Living in the United States, he now heads the Free Russia Forum, which he founded in 2016. Kasparov also said that U.S. authorities recently warned him of a Kremlin plan to kill him.
Speaking to RFE in Warsaw on October 11, Kasparov said that Russian political forces in exile should be fully focused on helping Ukraine win the war. To that end, his organization has raised about $15 million for various projects in Ukraine.
Kasparov also stated that U.S. President Donald Trump “continues to act in Putin’s interest.”
“His attempt to put pressure on Ukraine seems to be connected with his desperate position three weeks before the (Congressional) elections,” Kasparov said.
In his opinion, defeat in Ukraine would fundamentally change the atmosphere in Russian society.
“I even believe that a vast majority (of Russians) could be ready to accept democracy and the rule of law. It seems to me that failure in the war will inevitably force people to think about better alternatives,” Kasparov said.
Your perspective is part of the story
Start the discussion and be the first to comment on this story.