Real negotiations between Ukraine and Russia: Expert notes main conditions
Photo: conditions under which peace talks between Ukraine and Russia can begin (Getty Images)
It is too early to hope for real peace talks on the war in Ukraine. Two conditions need to be met for them to begin, according to the RBC-Ukraine article titled "From battlefield to homefront: What military, economic and energy challenges Ukraine faces this fall."
"I am convinced that for any negotiations to start, first, the US election must be over because the Russians want to negotiate with the Americans," said Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta Center for Applied Political Research.
Secondly, according to the political analyst, the military situation must stabilize.
"Because as long as Russia has a certain advantage, there will be expectations that the war can be won. Once the situation on the front stabilizes and it becomes clear that neither side can win the war, negotiations will have to take place," the expert concluded.
Why the Peace Summit is not about negotiations
In his opinion, the summit could lay the foundation for a peace process, but real negotiations do not take place publicly in the presence of dozens of countries. According to The Washington Post, a secret meeting with representatives of Ukraine and Russia was also planned in Qatar for August to reach an agreement on mutual abstention from attacking energy facilities.
"This was an attempt to start informal negotiations. Something similar could theoretically happen at the second Peace Summit. Proposals for advancing the peace process could be discussed and then passed on to Russia, which could consider them without participating in the summit. Or they could attempt to agree on where, when, and how to start negotiations. But this is an ideal scenario," Fesenko explained.
The Second Peace Summit
Ukraine plans to hold a second Peace Summit in 2024, where they intend to invite Russia. However, negotiations are not yet on the table. At the same time, according to the expert, this idea is unlikely to be realized within the specified timeframe.
As previously reported, the second Peace Summit will occur after the joint peace plan with the 10 points of the Ukrainian formula has been developed. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the plan would be prepared by the end of November.
