Russia uses China and Turkey's initiatives for peace talks to undermine aid to Ukraine - ISW

China and Turkey continue to offer their own negotiation platforms for the alleged settlement of the situation in Ukraine. Russia simply uses them to promote its information operations aimed at preventing further international support for Kyiv. This was reported by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), UNN reports .

Details

Analysts pointed to the cynical statements of the Kremlin's henchmen, which only reveal the simulation of "good intentions" of the state, which commits terrorist acts against the Ukrainian people.

For example, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui met in Moscow on March 2 to discuss "China's desire to promote peace talks" between Russia and Ukraine. They both said that it was "impossible" to discuss the settlement of the war in Ukraine without the participation of Russia and "without taking into account the interests of the (Kremlin - ed.) in the security sphere.

industries and Li complained about certain Western and Ukrainian "ultimatums" and "formats of dialogue." In their opinion, they only "harm the prospects for a settlement and cannot be the basis" for it. After these meetings in Moscow, the Chinese special representative is expected to visit Ukraine and unspecified EU countries.

At the same time, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya on March 3 that Ankara hoped for a "quick start" to ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine. They also believe that "both sides have reached the limits" of what they can achieve through military action. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently announced that Ankara is ready to provide Russia and Ukraine with another negotiation platform, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly rejected on March 1.

ISW analysts reminded that Russian officials continue to falsely blame Ukraine and the West for the lack of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, despite numerous public Russian statements that imply or explicitly state that Russia is not interested in a good faith dialogue.

Lavrov recently said that Ukraine lacks "good will" to negotiate with Russia, hinting that the lack of substantive talks is allegedly Ukraine's "mistake" and not Russia's. The representative of the aggressor country cynically argued that people who "misunderstand which side is to blame" also "do not understand the reality of the situation.

Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, also said in an interview with propaganda outlets that the Kremlin "has never refused" to negotiate, but that it is Ukraine that is refusing to talk to Russia. According to him, there are currently no negotiations with Kyiv, either directly or through intermediaries.

Any Russian statements suggesting that Russia is interested or has always been interested in peace talks are likely attempts to feign interest in order to induce the West to make precautionary concessions to Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to shift the burden of negotiations to Ukraine and the West,

Recall

Mykhailo Podoliak , advisor to the head of the OP, commented on the possibility of reaching an agreement with Moscow in the spring of 2022. According to him, there were no real opportunities.