NEW DELHI, December 20. /TASS/. Russia is winning the conflict in Ukraine, Nandan Unnikrishnan, prominent Indian political scientist and distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think tank, told TASS.
"If we look at the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russia certainly has the initiative," he said.
As for Russia’s confrontation with the West, the political scientist went on to say, it is hard to say at this point which side has the upper hand. "Russia is facing legitimate challenges, particularly with how NATO is developing. Clearly, all this needs to be discussed," he maintained.
Unnikrishnan pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has more than once spoken about Russia’s readiness to discuss an end to the conflict." "He even said that Russia has certain conditions and initial positions for the launch of talks," the expert noted.
"Everything depends on what the US reaction will be, and we can’t predict that at the moment, at least not until [US President-elect Donald] Trump takes office on January 20," he stressed.
While answering questions at his combined annual press conference and Q&A session, Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted Moscow’s readiness to hold talks on Ukraine without preconditions but based on the current situation and previous agreements.