Author: Ivan Preobrazhensky
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow first, then Kiev. Both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the talks were “constructive”. But Witkoff's words that both Russia and Ukraine will have to make compromises show that in one of the capitals they clearly did not understand it or decided to ignore it – as the Kremlin has done before. Otherwise, instead of two satisfied leaders, we would have two dissatisfied ones – if they really knew that they would be forced to make concessions. Against this background, many again have the feeling that this is just another stage of imitation negotiations.
Russia's behavior on the eve and during this "weekend of negotiations" did not give the impression that it is ready to negotiate on anything, except for the already announced ultimatums. For example, it is about whether it is ready to surrender the fortified area in Donbas without resistance, and probably also Zaporozhye and Kherson, and on the Ukrainian side - about strictly fixing the size of the Ukrainian army and holding presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine during hostilities.
American representative Steve Witkoff, who is favorable to Vladimir Putin, says that when he retires, he will be happy to remember his meetings with him. He promises the imminent start of trilateral negotiations, at which, in all likelihood, some "new ideas" will be discussed to end the war, which he heard in Moscow.
Who has the upper hand in the sky
But although Russia agreed to a partial short-term truce with Ukraine, it still did not allow the American guests, for the first time since the start of the full-scale war, to fly triumphantly by plane from Moscow to Kiev. Because such a flight would mean that Ukrainian airspace would be effectively closed to Russian drones and missiles for several hours.
Almost simultaneously with the Americans' takeoff from Moscow's Vnukovo airport, the Russians launched missile strikes on Kiev's Zhulyany and Boryspil airports. After Volodymyr Zelensky recently warned that Russian airspace was unsafe for flights due to Ukrainian drone attacks, Putin and his entourage have now apparently decided to show who remains the master of the skies.
In the end, the American envoys flew from Moscow to Poland, and from there they took the special "Peace Express" train to Kiev. The return trip also passed through the Polish city of Rzeszow.
Negotiations return to the level of authorized representatives
There is no doubt that these meetings have been prepared for quite a long time. It is no coincidence that Donald Trump's entourage earlier spread information through the media that Witkoff and Kushner would not leave for Moscow until there was a serious topic for discussion. Apparently, to demonstrate that the time for diplomatic tourism has passed.
For the first time, the two negotiators also arrived in Kiev this time. The timing of the visit was also hardly chosen by chance - while the temporary truce lasted, Vladimir Putin managed to hold numerous public election rallies in Moscow, including participating in the celebration of the City Day. Because there was a guarantee that Ukrainian drones would not appear from somewhere.
This fact is also indicative because the format of the negotiations has come closer to the one that Putin has long been striving for. More than once he and his representatives have said that there is a point in a leaders' meeting, including in a three-way format, only when the main agreements have already been prepared and all that remains is to sign them.
And indeed, the negotiations are returning to the level of authorized representatives. Zelensky's desire for direct negotiations between the presidents has clearly passed.
Trump needs successes before the midterm elections
Many are convinced that there is another, perhaps even the main reason for the trip of Trump's envoys to Moscow and Kiev - the US elections this fall. In them, the Republican Party risks losing control of Congress - perhaps not only in the House of Representatives, but also in the Senate, as some observers are already saying.
Trump urgently needs successes, and it is quite possible that his unofficial rhetoric towards the Kremlin has indeed become tougher. But the problem is that Putin knows very well that after the results of the US vote are announced, Trump's interest in Ukraine may again weaken significantly.
Therefore, if there are still no real peace proposals on the negotiating table, it will be enough for the Kremlin to wait until November 4, avoiding sudden moves and new sanctions. And then only guns and missiles will do the talking again.