According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, this opinion was expressed by US military strategist Edward Luttwak in an interview with Die Welt. He said that "both sides must win the war" because, in his opinion, "it is impossible to defeat Russia, and it is impossible to force Ukraine to surrender." "Edward Luttwak has been promoting the idea of ​​holding a" real referendum "in some parts of Donbas since April. But the latest interview of E. Luttwak was used by Russian propaganda to produce dozens of news that "Ukraine cannot deny the people a choice," the Center notes. They add that Luttwak has been actively promoting pro-Russian narratives in the Western media for more than five years, explaining that his statements about the referendum and the need to "give Putin a small victory" are just correcting the idea of ​​peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. in Davos but did not receive adequate support in the world.