The possibility of a bilateral meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, or a trilateral meeting with Donald Trump as a mediator, was mainly proposed by the American president as an option for stopping the war and resolving key issues, including territorial disputes. Such a meeting will be difficult to achieve. This was said by former Deputy Minister of Defense and diplomat Yordan Bozhilov in the “Interview in the NOVA News“.
He commented that such a meeting will be difficult to achieve, especially since Russia has already stated that until the principles of a possible peace are specified, a summit will not be possible. However, different formats for negotiations are not ruled out.
“The positive thing is that after the meetings in Alaska and Washington, a new process has begun and a dynamic is being created that could potentially lead to resolving key issues and stopping the conflict“, said Bozhilov.
According to him, both sides are extremely exhausted – Russia is not making significant progress on the battlefield and is subject to sanctions, while Ukraine is suffering from heavy bombing and a large number of casualties.
The former deputy minister stressed that a key factor for peace is the unity of the West. “At the last meeting, it was clearly demonstrated that Europe and the United States have similar interests. This is an important prerequisite for peace negotiations and guarantees for Ukraine“, he added.
According to Bozhilov Donald Trump is in a position to be a potential mediator because he maintains a relative distance from both sides and can talk to both Europe, Russia, and Ukraine. At the same time, however, the United States cannot be an absolutely independent mediator, since it plays a key role in future guarantees for Ukraine.
“The negotiations will not be easy and quick. This war is among the longest and bloodiest since the beginning of the 20th century. "However, the diplomatic dynamics created give hope for future solutions," Bozhilov concluded.