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Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have stalled – and not just because of the pause caused by the war in the Middle East
On March 21, the delegations of Ukraine and the United States met in Florida for the first time after a long hiatus associated with the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
Both sides reported on the meeting. The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustam Umarov, wrote that negotiations continued “to discuss basic issues and additional steps within the framework of the negotiation process.” Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff maleThe parties “held constructive meetings” focused on “narrowing the scope of issues” and “resolving remaining issues” to move closer to a peace agreement.
Vladimir Zelensky in his evening speech on March 21 male“The teams will continue communicating tomorrow.” “The most important thing is to understand how prepared the Russian side is to put a real end to the war and how prepared they are to do so with honesty and dignity. Especially now, when geopolitical problems have been exacerbated by the Iranian situation,” he wrote.
A pause in negotiations (bilateral and trilateral) arose due to the war in the Middle East, which began on February 28. The last meeting between Russia, Ukraine and the United States took place in Geneva on February 17-18, and the next one was supposed to take place in early March in Abu Dhabi – but by this time the situation was already unsafe in the Gulf states. Vladimir Zelensky said that the American side is ready to meet, but only in the United States, because the war in the Middle East prevents them from leaving their country’s territory. But according to Zelensky, Russia did not agree to this.
But although bilateral contacts have at least resumed (Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, met Witkov recently in Florida), peace negotiations remain stalled – and this began even before the war in the Middle East. I found out The BBC Russian Service spoke to a senior European diplomat and two other sources familiar with the negotiations.
According to BBC interlocutors, the tripartite peace process began to “fade” even before the war with Iran began. In discussing the main “political” issues – the fate of the Donbass territories and the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant – the two sides did not come close to any compromise. The BBC reports that the American side proposed establishing a “free economic zone” in the disputed areas, and Ukraine proposed deploying a contingent of peacekeeping forces there, but this option did not suit Moscow. As a result, says the BBC interviewer, “the Russian side’s interest in the idea of the special economic zone has declined.”
There remains another issue related to security guarantees for Ukraine, the agreement on which has not been announced. Zelensky said that Washington now insists on agreeing to security guarantees at the same time as the final peace agreement, but Kiev wants them first. A BBC source calls this situation a “vicious circle”: Without guarantees, Ukraine will not be able to discuss the territorial issue, and without resolving the territorial issue, it is difficult to imagine progress in the negotiations.
In addition, as BBC interlocutors noted, the two sides have not even begun to discuss other topics – for example, non-enlargement of NATO and other security issues – and this “reduces Moscow’s interest in the diplomatic process.” The European diplomat believes that the US administration “does not always understand Russia’s priorities correctly”: in his opinion, Putin “needs not only Donbass, but sovereignty over Ukraine.”
BBC interlocutors believe that the agenda and format of the negotiations in their current form are unlikely to lead to an end to the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in response to journalists’ questions about the progress made in the negotiations, said that “nothing is starting to fade away.” “It was clear from the beginning that the tripartite negotiations would not be easy. In fact, many issues, especially the territorial issue, still need further discussion. It is very complex. And many other difficult questions. We prefer, of course, not to express them publicly. We hope that the negotiations will continue in the near future,” Peskov said.
War in pictures. Zaporozhye is under attack by Russian bombs and drones
War through the eyes of Medusa readers
Medusa’s readers live in different countries and have different attitudes toward war. We publish your messages to see this event through your eyes. Our editors try to represent all viewpoints, even if they do not match the editorial position. However, in accordance with the Medusa Law, we do not publish messages that contain “hate speech,” justify the killing of civilians, or express direct support for an aggressive war.
Ksenia (Moscow). When the war started, it was a shock. I was on the train and read the news. There was a feeling that everyone in the carriage froze in sheepish shock. how? Why? We were taught in school that Russia is a liberal country, and it is.
And after a month or two, when huge waves of sanctions and condemnations poured into Russia, the thought came back: Maybe it was right to start a war? Everyone hates us so much, they cancel Russian artists and athletes. And for several months I’ve been really supportive of SVO. I donated, I entered into discussions… But my opinion was shaken for the first time on May 9, when they started comparing one with the other and justifying one with the other, and then in September, when the first general mobilization began.
The rose-colored glasses finally cracked when mass repressions began in the country. Honestly, I can’t say that I live in fear and terror. I live a normal, simple life, and I try to read less news. I just wanted to share that maybe not all people immediately realize what we have “get ourselves into”.