Exiled Russian opposition figure Garry Kasparov does not expect an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine or a ceasefire this year, despite current diplomatic efforts to find a settlement.
"For [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, the war has already become a pillar of the regime. The regime cannot exist without war," the former chess grandmaster told Ukraine's UNIAN news agency at the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
There are no signs of any desire to end the war within Putin's circle or in Russian propaganda, said the Kremlin opponent.
A ceasefire would also pose a problem for the Russian leadership, "because any cessation of hostilities means that Putin is faced with the question of what to do with the army," Kasparov said.
The return of around 1 million soldiers, some of whom are drug addicts and accustomed to violence, would inevitably lead to a rise in crime, Kasparov said.
The war would therefore continue as long as Moscow had the resources to do so, he added.
Meanwhile, talks on a peace deal under US mediation, which have been under way for weeks, were "doomed to failure from the outset."
In Kasparov's opinion, these were not peace negotiations, but an attempt at a deal between US President Donald Trump and Putin.
That is why the talks between Washington and Moscow were conducted by businessmen and not by the foreign ministers of Russia and the United States, he said.
Victory is still possible for Ukraine, but several favourable factors would have to come together to force Russia to end the war, Kasparov added.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for almost four years.
A further round of talks is scheduled to take place in Geneva next week and will again involve Russia, Ukraine and the US, Russian and Ukrainian officals have confirmed.
