Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov has said that ongoing efforts to hold peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin are pointless, as the Kremlin leader has no intention of ending the nearly five-year war against Ukraine. In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Russian Service (RFE/RL), Kasparov said international efforts should focus on helping Ukraine win the war. According to him, this could lead to Putin’s downfall and create a new opportunity for democracy in Russia. “It’s different if talks have the potential to solve a problem through mutual concessions. Putin’s plans have not changed. He has set himself the goal of destroying Ukraine as an independent state and has not given up on this goal,” Kasparov said.
IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE
After retiring from chess, Kasparov became a prominent figure in the Russian opposition before going into exile in 2013. He lives in the United States and currently heads the Forum for a Free Russia, which he founded in 2016. Kasparov has said that US authorities have recently warned him of a Kremlin plot to assassinate him. Speaking to REL in Warsaw on October 11, Kasparov said that Russian political forces in exile should focus entirely on supporting Ukraine to win the war. To this end, the organization he heads has raised about $15 million for various projects in Ukraine. “We have direct contacts with the Legion of Free Russia and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK),” he said, referring to two Russian armed groups that have fought on the side of Ukraine. “We raise funds for this purpose.”
Kasparov also highlighted his work lobbying the US Congress in support of Ukrainian causes. He said that in one case, his group had managed to convince 15 Republicans to change their votes. This claim has not been independently verified. In addition to opposing Putin, he is also known for his constant criticism of US President Donald Trump, including the latter’s efforts to build closer relations with Putin. Kasparov sharply criticized Trump’s recently announced deal to buy diesel fuel from Russia. “He continues to act in Putin’s interests. His recent statements constitute the most flagrant violation of US laws, including the sanctions legislation, which Trump himself signed,” Kasparov said. “His attempt to pressure Ukraine seems to me to be connected to his desperate position, three weeks before the midterm elections.”
Trump said the deal to buy Russian diesel would help ease the situation in US and international markets. Diesel shortages, caused by the conflict with Iran and exacerbated by Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, have led to rising prices. “Lowering prices for Americans, especially our great farmers, ranchers and truck drivers, is my top priority,” Trump wrote on social media on October 9.
The diesel deal has been opposed by both parties in the U.S. Congress. Democrats and former officials have also cited the 2022 Ending Russian Oil Imports Act, which would ban Russian oil imports into the United States unless the president certifies that Russia has met certain specified conditions. These include withdrawing from Ukraine, recognizing Ukrainian sovereignty, and not posing a threat to NATO.
THE GOAL TO OVERTHROW PUTIN
Kasparov joined concerns recently expressed by senior officials from European NATO members that Russia may be preparing some form of escalating aggression against the alliance. The concerns come at a time when Russia is widely believed to be waging a hybrid campaign, or covert war, that includes drone incursions into other countries’ airspace, sabotage and assassination attempts. The Kremlin has consistently denied involvement in the incidents that Western officials have blamed on it.
Kasparov also said that Putin is fully committed to continuing the war against Ukraine, describing it as the “ideological basis of Putin’s power.” According to him, this is reflected in the size of the Russian military budget and in official propaganda. “Either Ukraine will be broken by attacks against its civilian population, or it will stand strong and, in that case, the [Russian] regime will collapse,” he said. “This does not mean that everything will be fine in Russia tomorrow. But the fall of a regime always creates a window of opportunity.” Kasparov added that the war has given “fresh blood” to Putin’s power structure. As an example, he cited the recent entry of war veterans into the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament. According to him, hundreds or thousands more veterans may have been included in other branches of the state hierarchy.
However, opinion polls this year have shown Putin’s support declining as the war continues, the death toll mounts and Ukraine steps up attacks on Russian oil refineries, warehouses and data centres. These attacks have also affected the daily lives of Russian citizens. Kasparov said that Russia’s defeat in Ukraine would fundamentally change the atmosphere in Russian society. “I even believe that the vast majority [of Russians] might be ready to accept democracy and the rule of law,” Kasparov said. “It seems to me that failure in the war will inevitably force people to think about better alternatives.” (RFE)