By Ashish Singh
In Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, US negotiators held separate talks with Russian and Ukrainian delegations to find common ground for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The three-year-long war is undergoing a phase of conditional ceasefire, while the USA is continuously trying to broker a deal between the two nations. Europe has been, to an extent, cynical about Donald Trump’s approach. Given this brief background, I spoke with Yevgeny Ivanon, a Russia-based international relations expert, to share his views on the topic. Here is what he said:
“The start of a substantive negotiation process is a big step towards resolving the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The Trump administration has been able to persuade Kyiv to abandon an unrealistic approach in favour of a more pragmatic one. Nevertheless, Ukrainian hawks are unhappy that the US is ‘forcing’ them to make concessions, so they are looking for new patrons who are willing to keep the Ukrainian war machine on the move. For the current Ukrainian authorities, the end of the conflict will mean a weakening of their personal positions within the established regime. The Kyiv team has found support from European elites, who are under pressure from anti-establishment politicians and parties, and see the Ukrainian crisis as a chance to retain power through mobilisation around an illusory threat from Russia. Of course, Moscow has no intentions or plans to carry out a special operation on the territory of the European Union. Russia is ready for a full settlement of the crisis and to normalise relations with everyone who wants to cooperate. Moreover, Europe, where recession looms, probably needs Russian resources and the Russian market more than Russia needs Europe.”
