Solovyov on state TV: Russia does not want to end the war

Russian propagandist Solovyov said on state television that Russia has no intention of ending the war with Ukraine. “Our position is absolutely clear. I don’t know why the Europeans and Zelensky suddenly decided that we want to end the war. Are they idiots?” he asked rhetorically.

According to him, Moscow frames the goal differently: to ensure Russia’s security for a strategically acceptable period. Russians, he claims, did not start the war but are “ending” it.

Of this week’s trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, Solovyov said Trump should not be underestimated and that events could unfold in a highly unusual way. In his view, the meeting was effectively an intermediate step in preparing for a summit in China, if it takes place. He was referring to a possible meeting of Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping in November at the APEC economic forum in Shenzhen.

His words came after Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. had held two days of talks: on Tuesday and Wednesday the delegations met in Abu Dhabi and agreed on a prisoner exchange. All three sides viewed the meeting positively, but no progress was made.

Solovyov is known for sharp attacks on the West. He hosts several programmes on the Rossiya 1 TV channel and Vesti FM radio, where he regularly threatens the West with nuclear and conventional strikes, even though relatives of Russia’s top leadership live in the West. His shows are aimed mainly at a domestic audience, but they are also watched abroad because they show which narratives the regime wants to feed its citizens.

The propagandist’s words were flagged by the Russian Media Monitor project, founded by Julia Davis, an American journalist of Ukrainian origin. She is on Russia’s sanctions list.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz