The Kremlin is using the peace talks on Ukraine to seek economic concessions from the US and the development of business relations with Washington, without showing any readiness for compromises that would lead to an end to the war. This is the assessment of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), quoted by UNIAN.
Analysts point to the contradictory statements of Russian representatives about the agreement between the US and Russia on diesel fuel, concluded on October 9. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on October 27 that the deal was “purely business“ and did not contain conditions for Moscow to take political action or take into account security issues in exchange for American purchases.
“There is no direct connection“ between the diesel fuel agreement and the talks to end the war in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.Peskov made this statement on October 13. Two days earlier, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, described the deal as a factor that supports peace efforts, and on October 17, he said that the temporary suspension of some US sanctions would contribute to “lasting peace“.
According to ISW, the divergence in positions has a specific purpose - to present economic agreements with the US as separate from the peace process. In this way, Moscow could receive concessions that support Russian military efforts without making concessions itself to start substantive negotiations.
Moscow wants Europe out of the negotiations
The second direction outlined by ISW is the Kremlin's attempt to limit the participation of European countries in the negotiations on Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described President Vladimir Putin's talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre as evidence of Europe's willingness to "insert" itself into the peace process.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that Russia, Ukraine and the United States do not plan to include European representatives in the planned trilateral talks in November. At the same time, Peskov said on October 25 that Moscow would support a European negotiator, especially if he or she would help achieve a peaceful settlement.
ISW assesses this position as Russia's readiness to accept only European mediators who would comply with maximalist Russian demands. Among them is limiting NATO expansion and reducing the alliance's military presence to pre-1997 levels. According to analysts, such conditions would give Moscow the opportunity to influence NATO's internal politics and would limit the right of European countries to independently choose military alliances.
Abu Dhabi meeting remains uncertain
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that preparations for a technical meeting of the negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi are continuing. Kiev expects the talks to take place between November 6 and 10, but the venue could be changed due to developments in the Middle East.
However, the Kremlin points out that the meeting is still uncertain. Yuriy Ushakov said that no specific date had been proposed and that the decision would depend on the situation on the battlefield and the general international situation.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Leshchenko said that Kiev was ready to discuss a demilitarized zone in the Donetsk region. According to him, territorial issues should be resolved by state leaders, not technical negotiating groups.
Sources: unian.net