Peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is still a long way off, says professor

Last Sunday (24), the Russian invasion of Ukraine completed 5 months. For the professor of International Relations at ESPM Porto Alegre, Roberto Uebel, “we are far from ceasefire agreements and peace.”

In an interview with CNN Radio he assesses that the attacks recorded on port regions – after the signing of an agreement for the flow of grain production – “brings uncertainties about the future of the conflict.”

On Friday (22), Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement, brokered by the UN and Turkey, to release the export, interrupted due to the conflict.

“We look at the terms and note that Russia feels the impact of economic sanctions, one of the conditions to sign was that it could use the Black Sea to transport fertilizer production, a good part of the world stopped buying from the Russians.”

At the same time, the professor points out that Ukraine feels insecure, as the port region is under Russian occupation.

According to Uebel, it is difficult “to see light on the horizon in relation to the ceasefire”, mainly because countries that sought to mediate between the parties ended up getting in the way.

“Belarus that showed signs of support for Russia was abandoned as an option; Israel has entered a political crisis and the war has gone out of focus, and Turkey has maintained itself as an open state, but it is far away because there has been no Russian commitment to abandoning territories such as Crimea since 2014.”

The professor believes that “we will see specific agreements for humanitarian corridors and for the flow of productions”, in addition to some relief from sanctions for Russia, by countries such as Lithuania and Latvia.

*With production by Isabel Campos