A lot happened this week, but what didn’t happen is the most revealing.
To the First direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia should have announced a new era of diplomacy for the solution of the Largest Conflict in Europe since World War II. Instead, its context, brevity and limited results gave skeptics more reason to doubt that Moscow wants peace.
The three conclusions – one prisoners new conversations about the Meeting between its Presidents and both sides elaborating their view of a future ceasefire – They sound like progress.
But prisoners’ exchanges occur regularly.
Ukraine has already stated that it wants an immediate and unconditional ceasefire by air, sea and terrestrial, and had already offered direct negotiations between President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian homologist Vladimir Putin. Russia rejected these two ideas, but on Friday stated that it would consider them again.
Diplomacy went a long way this week to essentially return to stake – back to the starting point on Saturday.
So Kiev, Ukraine, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland demanded an unconditional ceasefire for a month and posted a photo of the leaders from five countries talking by phone with President Trump. They boasted their support for the truce, but also what France called “massive sanctions” if Russia rejected the demand.
Six days later, on Friday, they again posted a photo of the same five men, gathered again around a telephone, this time in the Albanian capital, Tyran, talking to the US President.
French President Emmanuel Macron said it was “unacceptable” that Russia would continue to ignore a truce. United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Strmer said Putin “must pay the price for avoiding peace.”
The symmetry between demands and images was remarkable. Last week, Trump held an impressive diplomatic gymnastics. Putin ignored the truce requirements and suggested direct conversations in Istanbul.
Zelensky said he would meet Putin there, and Trump offered to be an intermediary. Putin rejected all proposals except a meeting with minor members.
And then Trump emptied any sense of urgency by adding that he never expected Putin to attend without him to be in Istanbul, apparently concluding that “nothing will happen” in Ukraine before meeting with the Kremlin boss.

We don’t know how European leaders dealt with Friday’s call, with Macron worried at the center of the conversation, but certainly had to remember Trump of the promises made.
Trump was reluctant to press or talk bad about Putin in public. However, now its credibility with its nearest European allies is at stake. It is unclear if this will move it.
Now, in just one week, we completed the contradictory emotions cycle that afflict the White House in this thorny foreign policy issue, in which the US government has promised to fulfill.
Two constants emerged. Putin cares little about European or American pressure, simply proposing an offer of minimalist peace, with maximalist demands, and refusing to give in.
Trump seems to offer support to Ukraine and his particular allies, but is publicly seen extending his hand to a bilateral meeting with the Kremlin chief as soon as Moscow is ready.
Intermittently, the White House has been struggling to telegraph that its patience with Putin is limited, even expiring. Occasionally, even Trump implies this, vaguely boasting secondary sanctions as a disposable comment earlier this week.
However, this impatience has not yet translated into the firm action that Europe wants to see.
The White House benefits from Kremlin’s skilled and insincere baby steps, walking slowly toward peace. Russia is enough to allow Trump to pretend they are serious, giving in absolutely nothing-complicating things on Friday with a supposed demand that Ukraine delivers territories that Russia has not achieved.
There are vague and intractable enough rumors about diplomacy and new negotiations about conversations to provide the tempting promise of an agreement, without reaching an agreement, or even outlining it.
Russia is, of course, gaining time and gathering forces on the eastern front line, as shown in drone images, before a probable offensive in summer.
However, sometimes moments of clarity arise. This week might have helped elucidate Moscow’s true position, but also Trump’s reluctance to cause Putin suffering.
Clarity may be uncomfortable, and on Friday a severe assessment of Trump’s politics came from his former Kiev, Bridget Brink, who resigned last month.
In an opinion article, Brink explained why:
“Unfortunately, the policy since the Trump government has been pressuring the victim, Ukraine, instead of the aggressor, Russia… As such, I could no longer, in good faith, to execute government policy and I felt it was my duty to renounce.… Peace is no peace at all-it is appeasement. And the story repeatedly taught us that appeasement does not lead to security, to protection or prosperity. Suffering.”
It can be too early to determine whether Trump’s approach, with its protective gloves, means appeasing. But US President has softened a week of growing tension and pressure on Moscow, suggesting that no progress can be expected until he meets Putin.
And – as was the case of the evasive dome between Trump, Zelensky and Putin – don’t expect this intoxicating mixture of egos, deference and hatred to produce results.
Will the lesson last week that Trump personally forces Putin to accept concessions that months of pressure and years of brutal struggle on the battlefield have not succeeded? Even a possible summit between Trump and Putin may not resolve the war, but instead, zeroing the diplomacy clock and, like this week, leaving Ukraine back to stake zero.
This content was originally published in analysis: Diplomacy Week leaves Ukraine practically where it started on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil

Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.