Talk of a “new Yalta” and a new security system in Europe is diverting attention from concrete steps to end the war in Ukraine. This was stated by Volodymyr Ohryzko, Ukraine’s foreign minister from 2007 to 2009, in an interview with OBOZ.UA.
According to him, Moscow is trying to expand the agenda of the negotiations instead of focusing on ending the hostilities, halting strikes on energy infrastructure and organizing a high-level meeting. “This is a diversionary maneuver,” Ohryzko says, arguing that the issue of Europe’s future order could push the questions of an immediate ceasefire into the background.
At the heart of the discussion are talks about a larger agreement that would cover not only Ukraine but also future relations between Russia and the West. Issues related to European security were discussed in Abu Dhabi, while Russian representative Vladimir Medinsky compared the possible arrangements with the Yalta and Potsdam systems that shaped the postwar order in Europe.
Moscow Brings Back Its 2021 Demands
According to Ohryzko, the Kremlin may use the current talks to bring back onto the international agenda the demands Russia presented in December 2021. At the time, Moscow submitted draft security guarantee treaties to the United States and NATO that included limiting NATO’s military presence in Eastern Europe, reviewing the role of U.S. forces on the continent and recognizing special Russian interests in the post-Soviet space.
The former Ukrainian foreign minister warns that if these issues are placed in the same package as ending the war, Ukraine could become the subject of a broader bargaining process between Washington and Moscow. He points to the presence of Sergey Ryabkov in the talks in Abu Dhabi as significant. Ryabkov also represented Russia in negotiations with the United States in Geneva in 2021, when Moscow insisted that Ukraine and Georgia should not be admitted to NATO.
Among the possible Russian demands, Ohryzko cites Ukraine’s neutrality, restrictions on its right to independently choose alliances and security partners, as well as a return of NATO’s military configuration to the borders that existed in 1997. According to him, Moscow may insist on the withdrawal of foreign troops and heavy weaponry from Poland, the Baltic states and Finland.
No Confirmed Deal
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have held talks with Vladimir Putin, while the U.S. side is discussing a postwar model for Ukraine and Europe. Donald Trump calls the possible arrangements “a big, beautiful deal,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks of work on a future security framework.
However, the published interview does not cite any specific agreed clauses or a signed agreement between the United States and Russia on a new division of Europe and Ukraine. Ohryzko believes that for now, this is an attempt by Moscow to impose its own terms as part of a broader discussion about European security.
Sources: obozrevatel.com