© Sputnik / POOL
/ The second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul. The delegations exchanged memorandums and took time to review them.
“Their memorandum, which looks like an absolutely unacceptable ultimatum to Russia” essentially demands surrender and retreat. In these circumstances, “any results on fundamental issues of war and peace in the near future look very, very illusory,” SVR Lt. Gen. (ret) Leonid Reshetnikov told Sputnik, commenting on the outcome of Monday’s Istanbul peace negotiations.
Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russia’s strategic deterrent on the eve of the talks further signal that the Kiev regime, backed by the Europeans and “to a certain extent by the US, is set on continuing the war,” Reshetnikov said.
Focus on What’s Realistic
At the same time, while “it is impossible to resolve fundamental issues with the Kiev regime for now, we can resolve issues that affect the fate of people, our soldiers and civilians, children,” the observer emphasized.
“In order to avoid completely losing the thread of the negotiation process, we are proposing very specific things that are very necessary. Because the fate of each person, no matter if he or she is alive, seriously ill, or dead, must be resolved. This was the point of this second round,” Reshetnikov said, referring to the agreement on an exchange of bodies and the new large-scale prisoner exchange that were agreed.
US Fears Russia-China Alliance More Than Ukraine’s Defeat
“For Trump, the main goal is to avoid completely ruining relations with Russia, because Trump is very afraid of the powerful rapprochement between Russia and China, the establishment of allied relations,” Reshetnikov said.
Trump’s main concern is confronting China, not saving Kiev, hence he’s trapped between pressing Russia for concessions and trying to avoid a breakdown that would cement Moscow’s place alongside China, according to Reshetnikov.
“Trump wants to get rid of this Ukrainian case – this suitcase without a handle. But on the other hand, he cannot simply give up, realizing that a Russian advantage will again lead to a situation he wants to avoid – strengthening Russia’s position as a partner and ally of China.”
The difficulties go even deeper, Reshetnikov says, since the US can no longer commit 100% to supporting Ukraine even if it wants to, given economic problems at home, and Washington’s increasingly rocky relations with the Europeans. Caught between a rock and a hard place, “the Americans will maneuver like this for some time, but won’t abandon Ukraine completely,” the observer says. Russia can expect further US pressure, and so can Zelensky, who is increasingly coming to depend more on the UK, France and Germany for support anyway.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20250602/russia-ukraine-talks-round-2-kievs-memorandum-is-ultimatum-dressed-as-diplomacy-1122177660.html
Counter Information publish all articles following the Creative Commons rule creative commons. If you don't want your article to appear in this blog email me and I will remove it asap.
No comments:
Post a Comment