Expert clarifies US position in Ukraine-Russia peace talks: Neither mediator nor moderator

"What is the paradox of the current situation? The US has somewhat distanced itself from the negotiation process. Earlier, until the end of April, they were still conducting parallel talks with both us and the Russians, even prepared their own compromise version, their own peace plan, but it didn’t pass and didn’t yield results. So they changed their tactics," Fesenko said.

He noted that the US initiated direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in May, which began in Istanbul, but then stepped aside.

"They are not participating in the negotiations either as a mediator or even as a moderator. That role now belongs to Türkiye, which is acting in that capacity. And it’s no coincidence, by the way, that Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Fidan went to Moscow, and there are supposed to be talks here. We’ll see how it works going forward, but the US continues to oversee the negotiation process," the political analyst said.

He recalled that the US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, stated that the United States is waiting for peace proposals from Russia.

"The Russians said they wouldn’t hand them over, but I don’t think so. Most likely, they will send them through Witkoff if the US insists. But they will claim that they didn’t hand anything over. Nevertheless, Kellogg says that once we get proposals from Ukraine and Russia, they will be consolidated. So the US will still influence the search for compromise solutions," Fesenko added.

Ukraine-Russia negotiations

On May 16, the first round of talks between representatives of Ukraine and Russia took place in Türkiye, during which possible ways to end the war were discussed. Following the negotiations, the delegations agreed to prepare written proposals regarding the terms of a possible ceasefire.

However, Russia is delaying the delivery of its memorandum. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, Russia is doing everything to prolong the war and sabotage the negotiations, which is why it is dragging its feet on sending the document.

At the same time, recently, Russia proposed holding a second round of talks on June 2 in Istanbul. Ukraine is ready for further negotiations with Russia but wants to receive the so-called memorandum regarding a possible ceasefire from Moscow before the meeting.

According to media reports, the US delegation will not be present at the second round of Ukraine-Russia talks in Türkiye.

Meanwhile, White House aides stated that US President Donald Trump "wants to see progress."

"The president is mad, but he also wants a deal. He’s trying to figure out the best path to get there - but believe him when he says he’ll walk away,," said one of the external advisers.