Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov has said that ongoing efforts to negotiate peace with Russian President Vladimir Putin are pointless, arguing that the Kremlin leader has no intention of ending Russia’s nearly five-year war against Ukraine.
In an interview with the Russian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Kasparov said international efforts should focus on helping Ukraine win the war. According to him, such an outcome could lead to Putin’s downfall and create a new opportunity for democracy in Russia.
“It is different when negotiations have the potential to resolve a problem through mutual concessions. Putin’s plans have not changed. He has set himself the goal of eliminating Ukraine as an independent state, and he has not abandoned that objective,” Kasparov said.
Supporting Ukraine
After retiring from chess, Kasparov became one of the most prominent figures in the Russian opposition before going into exile in 2013. He lives in the United States and currently heads the Free Russia Forum, which he founded in 2016. Kasparov has said that US authorities recently warned him of a Kremlin plot to assassinate him.
Speaking to RFE/RL in Warsaw on October 11, Kasparov said Russian opposition groups in exile should focus entirely on supporting Ukraine’s victory in the war. To that end, the organisation he leads has raised approximately $15 million for various projects in Ukraine.
“We have direct contacts with the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK),” he said, referring to two Russian armed groups that have fought alongside Ukraine. “We raise funds for this purpose.”
Kasparov also highlighted his efforts to lobby the US Congress in support of Ukrainian causes. He said that, on one occasion, his group had managed to persuade 15 Republicans to change their votes. This claim has not been independently verified.
In addition to opposing Putin, Kasparov is known for his sustained criticism of US President Donald Trump, including the latter’s efforts to establish closer relations with Putin. Kasparov strongly criticised Trump’s recently announced agreement to purchase Russian diesel fuel.
“He continues to act in Putin’s interests. His latest statements constitute the most flagrant violation of US laws, including sanctions legislation that Trump himself signed,” Kasparov said.
“His attempt to pressure Ukraine appears to me to be connected to his desperate position, just three weeks before the midterm elections.”
Trump has said that the agreement to purchase Russian diesel fuel would help ease pressure on US and international markets. A shortage of diesel, caused by the conflict with Iran and exacerbated by Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, has driven prices higher.
“Lowering prices for Americans, especially our great farmers, ranchers, and truck drivers, is my highest priority,” Trump wrote on social media on October 9.
The diesel agreement has faced opposition from both parties in the US Congress.
Democrats and former officials have also cited the 2022 law aimed at ending imports of Russian oil. The legislation prohibits the import of Russian oil into the United States unless the president certifies that Russia has met certain specified conditions. These include withdrawing from Ukraine, recognising Ukrainian sovereignty and no longer posing a threat to NATO.
Seeking Putin’s Downfall
Kasparov echoed concerns recently expressed by senior officials from European NATO member states that Russia may be preparing some form of escalation in its aggression against the alliance.
These concerns come amid assessments that Russia is conducting a hybrid campaign, or “shadow war”, involving drone incursions into other countries’ airspace, acts of sabotage and attempted assassinations.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied involvement in incidents for which Western officials have blamed Russia.
Kasparov also said Putin was fully determined to continue the war against Ukraine, describing it as “the ideological foundation of Putin’s power”. According to him, this is reflected in the scale of Russia’s military budget and its official propaganda.
“Either Ukraine will be broken by attacks against its civilian population, or it will remain strong, in which case the [Russian] regime will collapse,” he said.
“That does not mean everything in Russia will be fine tomorrow. But the fall of a regime always creates a window of opportunity.”
Kasparov added that the war had injected “fresh blood” into Putin’s power structure. As an example, he pointed to the recent entry of war veterans into the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.
According to him, hundreds or thousands of other veterans may also have entered different branches of the state hierarchy.
However, opinion polls this year have indicated declining support for Putin as the war continues, the death toll rises and Ukraine intensifies attacks on Russian oil refineries, storage facilities 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 within Russian society.
“I even believe that the overwhelming majority [of Russians] could be willing to embrace democracy and the rule of law,” Kasparov said.
“It seems to me that failure in the war will inevitably force people to consider better alternatives.”
