US and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin has not backed down from his original demands in the peace talks with Ukraine and there is a strong dose of skepticism in Western capitals about the credibility. of Moscow’s engagement — even if the status of those negotiations remains difficult to decipher, according to several sources briefed on the situation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently indicated that he is willing to consider some concessions to Russia to help end the violence, including a policy of neutrality, albeit underpinned by robust security guarantees, raising more questions about the current state of negotiations and specific elements. of any peace agreement that may be under consideration.
“I am ready for negotiations with [Putin]. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war,” Zelensky told Fareed Zakaria of CNNin an exclusive interview this Sunday morning (20), but warned that if any attempt at negotiation fails, it could mean that the fight between the two countries would lead to “a third World War.”
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have met four times since the start of the Russian invasion.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pondered the possibility of Ukraine agreeing to neutral status during a media event in Moscow on Saturday, saying “after our operation in Ukraine ends, and I hope it ends with the signing of a comprehensive agreement on the issues I mentioned – security issues, Ukraine’s neutral status with guarantees of its security as the president [Putin]a few months ago, if I remember correctly, commented at a press conference about our NATO non-expansion initiative, he said that we understand that every country needs guarantees of its security,” Lavrov said.
But details on the talks remain scarce with many NATO countries and the US remaining on the sidelines when it comes to the secret peace talks, with a European defense official calling the talks “a little shady at the moment”.
The Biden administration still sees no indication that Putin is willing or ready to ease the conflict — making it difficult for US officials to be optimistic about the current state of negotiations, a source familiar with the situation said.
But at the same time, this source also said that the US is not pressuring Ukraine to accept or reject specific concessions and is not involved in the negotiation process.
THE CNN contacted the US National Security Council for comment but did not receive a response.
Source: CNN Brasil
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