WASHINGTON, May 8. /TASS/. The West’s supplies of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine are unlikely to drastically change the situation on the battlefield, therefore conflict settlement is possible only through a dialogue, director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University Peter Kuznick has told TASS, commenting on the Russian leader’s inauguration speech.

"The fighting in Ukraine has gone on for more than two years now. Russia's gains on the battlefield are slow and incremental and come at great cost to Russians and Ukrainians alike. Putin, today, reiterated his offer to negotiate. The US, Ukraine, and NATO should take him up on that offer and see if there is any room for compromise that both sides can live with," he said.

In his opinion, despite Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's assertions, "Ukraine is not going to drive every Russian soldier from the country."

"If the West keeps pouring in more military aid, as it is committed to doing, the battlefield situation will not change dramatically and there will just, when the negotiations do finally begin, be several hundred thousand more killed and wounded on both sides. That would be tragic. An agreement was within reach in March 2022, we should strive for that again," Kuznick said.

The first talks between Russia and Ukraine since the start of the special military operation were held in early March 2022 in Belarus, but failed to yield tangible results. On March 29, 2022, another round followed in Istanbul, when Moscow first received from Kiev the principles of a possible future agreement formulated on paper. It included, among other things, commitments to Ukraine's neutral, non-aligned status and its vow not to deploy foreign weapons, including nuclear weapons, on its territory. At the very last moment Kiev unilaterally severed the negotiation process.

In his February interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, the Russian leader noted that Moscow had never rejected dialogue on Ukraine but would not take the first step after the Istanbul talks were halted.

Putin was inaugurated as president of Russia for the fifth time. The ceremony that kicked off his new presidential term took place on Tuesday. In his speech, the president outlined the country’s top priorities, such as the well-being of the people, respect for the country’s long-standing traditions, and further developing partnerships with the countries of the global majority. According to the president, Moscow is ready for dialogue on security and strategic stability, but "it should not be held from a position of strength but should be free of arrogance, conceit and a sense of exceptionalism," "the parties to the dialogue should be equal and have respect for each other’s interests.".