Expert weighs political meaning of Dmitriev’s visit to US and chances of truce before April 20
Photo: Kirill Dmitriev, representative of the Russian President (Getty Images)
The United States does not anticipate major progress in negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine for at least a few more weeks. As a result, a full ceasefire is unlikely before April 20, said political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko in a commentary to the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel.
Dmitriev’s visit to the US
Fesenko pointed out that the visit of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, to the United States was highly symbolic.
“This is the first visit by a Russian official - although not a high-ranking government official, Dmitriev is still a special envoy of Putin. It’s the first time someone at this level from Russia appeared in Washington as part of the negotiation process,” he said.
The analyst noted that there is very little public information about Dmitriev’s visit, and it remains unclear whether he met with US President Donald Trump.
It is also unknown whether a phone call between Putin and Trump will follow Dmitriev’s visit.
“When Witkoff visited Moscow, there were two follow-up phone calls. Something similar could happen now. There are some hints, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said today that no call is planned. Still, as we know, not everything Peskov says comes true. It may not be planned today but could become reality tomorrow,” Fesenko explained.
He believes Dmitriev’s trip was likely focused on arranging further talks with the US. However, Moscow does not currently expect direct talks between the two presidents, possibly because not all proposals were agreed upon. The expert noted that the Americans may have rejected some of Russia’s suggestions.
Possibility of a ceasefire
The analyst recalled that, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, any progress in peace talks is expected only in a few weeks, not earlier.
“It’s already clear that a full ceasefire by April 20 is unrealistic. Even if negotiations resume next week, they could theoretically agree, for example, on a ceasefire in the air. But for now, I see no signs pointing to that,” he said.
Kellogg’s statements
As previously reported by Bloomberg, the US is aiming to secure a full ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia by Easter (April 20).
US special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg has suggested that Ukraine and Russia are on the precipice of a full ceasefire. According to him, the only thing left to do is to agree on the conditions for such a step.
