"Putin: Russia Should Have Invaded Ukraine Sooner, but Timing Was Key"
Vladimir Putin has reiterated his stance that Russia should have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine even earlier than February 2022, though he admits the exact timing remains uncertain. In an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, December 22, the Russian leader echoed his belief that the West and Ukraine had misled Russia, giving Western partners time to prepare Kyiv for future military actions against Russia.
The Russian President pointed out that Ukraine and the West had not fulfilled the Minsk agreements, which he argued allowed the Western partners to reinforce Ukraine’s defenses. Putin maintained that Russia needed to "prepare for this" and "choose the right moment" rather than waiting until it was too late to act.
However, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that Putin has not addressed Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen its military in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the subsequent war in Eastern Ukraine. ISW also reminded that the Minsk II accord heavily favored Russia, impos