Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are at a dead end

While Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine had deviated from the agreement reached during peace talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul, the Ukrainian side said that the negotiations were extremely difficult. The statements of the two sides show that the prospect of resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is unlikely in the near future.

Illustration: Reuters

Speaking to the press, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine went against the agreements that were expected to be made between the Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams in Istanbul at the end of March. In addition, according to Putin, peace talks “fall into a stalemate” because Ukraine has refused to recognize Russian Crimea and the independence of the Donbass region. He also defended Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine: “Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine was carried out to ensure the security of Russia. Obviously we have no other choice. It is the right step to protect the people of the Donbass region,” the Russian president said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said that ongoing peace talks with Russia to end hostilities were “extremely difficult”. Mykhaylo Podolyak, the adviser to the President of Ukraine and the country’s chief negotiator, also denied Russia’s accusations, saying that Ukrainian negotiators delayed the discussion by changing the requirements:

“The Russian side adheres to the traditional tactics of pressuring public opinion into the negotiation process, including the adoption of a number of public statements. However, our position will not change. I will stick to the proposals that we made at the talks with Russia in Istanbul, Turkey.”

Thus, the negotiations to end Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, which have lasted for nearly two months up to this point, have yielded no concrete results. Currently, the biggest problem facing the parties is that Russia is asking Ukraine to officially recognize Crimea as part of Russia and the regions in Donbass as independent states.

In a development that could aggravate the Russia-Ukraine conflict is expected, today, the administration of US President Joe Biden will announce a military aid package of $ 750 million for Ukraine. The equipment included in this additional support package may include heavy ground artillery systems for Ukraine, including rocket artillery.

Previously, the US has also provided more than $ 1.7 billion in security assistance to Kiev since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. The shipments of weapons included Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles, as well as ammunition and armor. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on American and European leaders to provide weapons and heavy equipment to deal with Russia’s military campaign.

With such developments on the ground and at the negotiating table, it can be seen that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is difficult to end in a short time when the parties have not yet reconciled their interests.

According to Vu Anh Tuan