Vladimir Putin has ditched his £7,000 bespoke Italian suits for a military uniform in an attempt to present himself as a wartime leader and align with the success of Russian forces.
The Russian president is seen more often in hand-stitched Brioni jackets – as seen during a talk in Moscow last year – rather than in combat gear.
Keir Giles, a leading analyst on European defence and Russia at Chatham House in London, said his costume change is no accident but a ‘deliberate fashion choice’.
With the army claiming significant advances in Russia’s western region of Kursk, the president is eager to associate himself with their success.
Keir told Metro: ‘Putin’s fashion choices are, of course, deliberate, and it is a choice which might have been expected to achieve broad excitement in Western media, and it absolutely has done so.
‘But the underlying message is probably a very straightforward one – Putin probably thinks that the military is about to achieve something of which it can be proud.
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‘Therefore he wants to be associated with it. It may be as simple and as straightforward as tagging on to the success of the army in ejecting the Ukrainian forces from Russian territory, if that, in fact, is imminent…’
Reacting to the proposal for a ceasefire, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, said today that he had told Washington that it would simply give Ukrainian forces a much-needed battlefield respite.
He told state TV: ‘I stated our position that this is nothing other than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more.
‘Our goal is a long-term peaceful settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of our country and our well-known concerns. It seems to me that no one needs any steps that (merely) imitate peaceful actions in this situation.’
Earlier this morning, Russian forces retook control of Sudzha, a major town in Russia’s western Kursk region, from Ukrainian troops, according to the ministry of defence.
Troops had also recaptured two other villages, Melovoi and Podol, it has been claimed.
The recapture of Sudzha is a significant gain for Russia as it battles to eject Ukrainian forces from their foothold in Kursk, which they have been clinging to since last August.
Putin, dressed in his military uniform, visited his army in Kursk yesterday and ordered them to press ahead and retake the rest of the Ukrainian-held territory.
Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) expert in Russian domestic politics, Emily Ferris, described the president’s clothing as a show of strength to the Russian people that ‘the war is not over until Russia says so’.
She told Metro: ‘It is a move clearly designed to signal the military strength, as US negotiators arrive in Moscow today.
‘Putin rarely visits the frontline and is very rarely in fatigues, unlike Zelensky who had adopted the uniform as a sign that Ukraine remains at war.
‘The audience is twofold – to the American negotiators, Putin’s choice and his words to the soldiers do not suggest the Russian position on the war to be softening.
‘Certainly, restoring Russia’s southern border and pushing further into Ukraine is a priority, as there is a risk that any ceasefire agreement would cement the conflict along its current lines.’
This comes as Donald Trump warned that he could hurt Russia’s economy if it did not agree on a 30-day ceasefire proposed in talks in Saudi Arabia.
The US president said: ‘I can do things financially that would be very bad for Russia. I don’t want to do that because I want to get peace.’
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Do Britons trust Russia to abide by a ceasefire?
Just 12% of British citizens trust Russia to abide by a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to a new YouGov poll.
By contrast, the large majority (72%) say they do trust Ukraine to stick to the terms of a ceasefire, with only 18% saying they don’t trust them.
Distrust for Russia is strong across all political parties (70-91%), while most voters trust Ukraine (58-84%), although Reform UK voters are notably more likely than others to have trust in Russia and distrust Ukraine.
For a leader like Trump – who views every world event through his personal lens – Putin’s stunt in Kursk may backfire.
His military attire may also be perceived as a subtle attempt to outshine the US president in the negotiations for a ceasefire.
The Kremlin is still waiting to make an official response to the proposal, so the White House may see his visit to Kursk as a betrayal – or a sign that Putin will not play ball.
Keir stressed that is only when the military situation is ‘disadvantageous’ for Russia that it makes sense for it to agree to a ceasefire.
He added: ‘There is no reason for Russia to agree to a ceasefire. If Russia’s military commanders feel that the advantage is going their way, and they want to press home and make use of whatever momentum they have achieved.’
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