The illusions that the war in Ukraine can only be resolved at the negotiating table are increasingly evaporating. This was explained to the Bulgarian National Radio by Elena Poptodorova, former Bulgarian ambassador to the US, vice president of the Atlantic Club.
Today the ultimatum set by the White House to Moscow expires - to stop the war in Ukraine or face additional sanctions.
"Peace is really very far away, we should be discussing a ceasefire. But there aresigns that both the Kremlin and Washington are thinking about a meeting.
The question is why now. The reciprocal tariff regime, as defined by President Trump, has come into effect. About a hundred billion dollars are flowing into the American treasury. This gives Trump renewed confidence that these types of measures can work anywhere and for everything.
I think that even if this meeting takes place, it will be asymmetrical, Poptodorova summarized.
"The American president has the idea that if these secondary sanctions are imposed, which he is threatening from today, the Kremlin will run out of money and then the war will stop.
But this is not President Putin's way of thinking. At the moment, it does not seem likely that he will agree to a truce.
The two sides will come in with very different proposals. Ukraine will be expected to give up occupied territories or at least Crimea, to declare international neutrality, not to join NATO, and it will not be given good security guarantees. This is Russia's point of view.
On the other hand, Trump expects to see a compliant interlocutor".
The entire fate of Ukraine is on the table, Poptodorova noted.
"Putin's desire to assimilate Ukraine, to establish full influence – through internal regime change or through external pressure, cannot be changed".
Our former ambassador to the US believes that some kind of ceasefire will be possible to talk about at the beginning of winter at the earliest.
"This war will enter 2026. Europe is vitally interested in staying in the game. It is about our security. Without a visible victory for Ukraine, the war will not end. For Putin, there is no way back".
Poptodorova believes that no one will provoke a nuclear war.
"We have a new kind of war – of technology".