'Putin's not as strong as he appears, knows Ukraine war a mistake': Russia's ex-PM

Russian president Vladimir Putin is not ready to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine despite growing economic pressures and unease among sections of Russian society and the elite, former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov said on Saturday.Kasyanov, who served as Russia’s prime minister from 2000 to 2004, said Putin understood that invading Ukraine in 2022 had been a mistake but remained unwilling to change course.“He made a mistake that he cannot bring himself to admit,” Kasyanov, 68, told AFP in Paris. “He believed the reports from his security services that Ukraine was weak.”Kasyanov said he was not convinced the war would end next year, arguing that high oil prices linked to the US-Iran conflict and disagreements between the United States and Europe over dealing with Moscow had strengthened Putin’s position.“Putin is, of course, rubbing his hands with glee,” he said.