Is a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin possible? Expert explains why the Kremlin is blocking direct negotiations
Kyiv • UNN
The expert stated that Russia is imitating diplomacy and putting forward unacceptable conditions for negotiations. A meeting between the presidents currently remains unrealistic.
Despite new statements regarding possible negotiation formats to end the war, Russia continues to put forward unacceptable conditions to Ukraine and is effectively imitating a diplomatic process. Moscow shows no readiness for compromise, and a potential meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin currently remains unrealistic due to the fundamentally different positions of the parties. This was stated in a comment to UNN by international relations expert and candidate of political sciences Stanislav Zhelikhovskyi.
"The negotiation track is effectively not moving"
Recently, talk of possible negotiations between Ukraine, the US, and Russia has intensified again. The possibility of a meeting at the leadership level, specifically between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin, is also being discussed. However, according to Zhelikhovskyi, it is too early to speak of a real breakthrough.
"We are indeed seeing attempts to activate the negotiation track, which has effectively not moved forward recently. The United States is currently largely concentrating its attention on the Middle East, while Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine and shows no readiness for real negotiations. Therefore, it is currently too early to talk about the restoration of a full-fledged negotiation process,"
He emphasized that even previous negotiation formats did not yield significant results.
"If we recall previous rounds of negotiations, the maximum that could be achieved was humanitarian agreements, primarily regarding the return of prisoners of war. And Ukraine is certainly interested in returning all its citizens held in Russian captivity. But even on humanitarian issues, Russia sends contradictory signals. It seems that the Kremlin is either bargaining or simply does not want to return some people, as living witnesses of this war are disadvantageous to it,"
"Russia is either driving up its price or does not want negotiations at all"
According to the expert, Russian rhetoric regarding possible direct negotiations is constantly changing and often contradicts itself.
"Ukraine demonstrates readiness for a meeting at the highest level. But from the Russian side, we constantly hear different statements. Sometimes they say a meeting is only possible in Moscow, then they claim Zelenskyy must be the first to call Putin, then they talk about the need to agree to the Kremlin's demands, after which Putin would supposedly be ready for negotiations and the signing of agreements. And all of this repeats in a circle,"
In his opinion, such behavior indicates Moscow's unwillingness to engage in constructive dialogue.
"We see no constructiveness whatsoever. Either Russia is simply driving up its price, or it does not want to agree on anything at all. Everything we observed earlier was mostly an imitation of the negotiation process. Russia continues to believe that it is capable of continuing this war and is not ready to abandon its maximalist demands,"
"Ukraine needs the US as a mediator"
The expert is convinced that it is critically important for Kyiv to maintain Washington's support and prevent a scenario of direct negotiations with Russia without international mediators.
"It is very important for Ukraine to maintain close contact with Western partners, primarily the United States. We need American support, including weaponry, which is vital for the AFU. It is equally important that the US continues to play the role of a mediator,"
Zhelikhovskyi recalled that Russia has long been promoting the idea of direct negotiations without the West.
"The Kremlin has repeatedly said that they do not need mediators and that this is supposedly a war between two countries that should reach an agreement themselves. But it is obvious that this could be a trap for Ukraine. That is why we need countries that can perform a mediating function. And I think that Ukraine will continue to insist on more active European participation in the negotiation process,"