Vladimir Putin continues to signal to both his domestic and global audiences that he is not interested in peace without his full demands being met and remains committed to Ukraine's complete capitulation, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.

ISW cites Putin's interview with Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin, during which the Russian ruler said he was ready to negotiate "on the Ukrainian issue," but that the Ukrainian president's 2022 decree declaring "impossibility of negotiations" with Putin is a significant obstacle to peace talks.

"Putin also once again questioned Zelenskyy's legitimacy as the current president of Ukraine and insinuated that US President Donald Trump should negotiate exclusively with Putin about Ukraine's fate, as the two leaders can 'calmly' discuss their interests," the analysts said.

ISW believes that "Putin's intense focus on the decree during his January 24 interview marks yet another attempt to distract from his unwillingness to engage in peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine."

"Putin is likely using his interview with Zarubin on Russian state television to signal to Russian society that Russia is unlikely to participate in peace negotiations in the near future and that the war is unlikely to end soon," ISW said.

They believe Putin is also sending this message to a subset of Russian elites who want the war to end, and likely intends to use the interview to silence any questions from Russian elites about the timing of the war and its resolution.