Analysis: Russia and Ukraine struggle to make territorial concessions

The war between Russia and Ukraine, which has been going on for more than two and a half years, faces significant obstacles to reaching a peace agreement.

During the CNN 360° the international analyst at CNN Fernanda Magnotta highlights three crucial points that prevent progress in negotiations between the countries.

The first and most important point is the existence of incompatible demands between the parties and the difficulty in making territorial concessions.

“Ukraine is not willing to give up certain parts of its territory that have been taken over, just as Russia is not willing to give up what it has conquered,” explains Magnotta.

The second point is the mutual distrust between the negotiators. Ukraine sees Russia as an existential threat to its sovereignty, while Russia fears Ukraine’s rapprochement with the West, especially with NATO.

Lack of reliable mediator

The third point highlighted by Magnotta is the absence of a reliable mediator. “Everyone is implicated with some of the sides in relation to their own strategic interests,” says the analyst.

Western Europe and the United States are seen as pro-Ukraine, while China has moved too close to Russia.

Although a new round of negotiations is scheduled for November, the outlook is not encouraging.

“We do not see any willingness from the actors involved to reach suitable terms, we see offensive after offensive, which even increases the chance that distrust will increase”, concludes Magnotta.

Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russian territory marks a change in the dynamics of the conflict, but does not significantly alter the scenario of the negotiations.

Without overcoming these fundamental obstacles, the resolution of the conflict remains distant, prolonging a war that has already dragged on for more than two years.