Russia playing for time in peace talks, ISW uncovers strategy
Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
Russia is deliberately stalling the peace process, and new talks in Istanbul are unlikely to lead to any meaningful results, reports the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Russian officials continue to push the Kremlin's hardline stance ahead of the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2. This signals a very low likelihood that the meeting will produce any meaningful progress toward a lasting peace in Ukraine.
According to experts, several factors point to this conclusion.
First, analysts pointed to a statement by Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, who said that Russia is ready to fight Ukraine for as long as it takes — either to force peace on Moscow’s terms or to achieve victory on the battlefield.
Experts also cited Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and special presidential envoy for international investment and economic cooperation. In a May 30 post on the social media platform X, he called for the elimination of the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine.
The Institute noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously described those root causes as NATO’s eastward expansion after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, along with alleged discrimination against Russian speakers and Russian culture by Ukrainian authorities.
Finally, analysts believe that the makeup of Russia’s delegation — nearly identical to the one at previous talks in Istanbul — signals there won’t be any real progress in this second round either.
According to the ISW, Russia’s repeated presentation of the same long-standing demands and its decision to send a low-level delegation again show that Moscow has no real interest in engaging in good-faith negotiations.
“Russia remains dedicated to protracting peace negotiations to support continued offensive operations in Ukraine and extract additional concessions from Ukraine and the West,” the analysts concluded.
Peace talks in Istanbul
Official Kyiv has already handed over a memorandum outlining its proposals for a ceasefire. However, the Kremlin has yet to present its draft proposals, despite Ukraine’s insistence — even warning it may not attend the meeting in Istanbul if Russia fails to do so.
US President Donald Trump accused Vladimir Putin of stalling the peace process and threatened to impose sanctions.
Additionally, the US has signaled it may walk away from the negotiations altogether if the Kremlin refuses to commit to genuine peace efforts and continues waging war.
