Volker called the Russian Federation's peace talks a sham
In reality, Russia has no intention of truly ending the war with Ukraine. All so-called negotiations, including those mediated by the United States, are nothing but a sham on Moscow’s part.
Kurt Volker, the former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, said this in an interview with Ukrinform. He suggested that a full-fledged peace agreement will not be reached.
“Peace talks to date have actually been more of a sham. Russia has not been seriously committed to ending the war. It has simply used the negotiations as a tool to divert attention, feeding the Trump administration ideas about business deals, while continuing the war. So this is a ‘show’ on the Russian side,” Volker noted.
He emphasized that the Ukrainian side understands all this well, but cannot afford to appear as a party that does not seek peace.
“That is why Ukrainians are also participating in the process, accepting even unfavorable proposals, turning them into something more reasonable, showing up at every meeting, and always demonstrating a willingness to negotiate so that Ukraine is not blamed for the failure of the talks,” the former U.S. diplomat emphasized.
At the same time, he expressed the view that he sees no prospects for the negotiations actually yielding results.
“Change will only occur when Putin feels that his finances and military capabilities are so depleted that he cannot continue the war. Only then might something change. But that will certainly not be the result of these negotiations,” Volker stated.
The former U.S. diplomat believes that there likely won’t be a full-fledged peace agreement at all.
“Most likely, we will see an actual ceasefire or a gradual winding down of hostilities. And this will largely take place directly between the Russians and Ukrainians, even without external mediation,” the former U.S. diplomat concluded.
As a reminder, the Kremlin has announcedthe terms of the meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
The Kremlinis also preparing three scenarios for the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, Moscow has called onthe U.S. to cooperate even before the war ends.
