Direct talks with Russia are always trap — diplomat

Danylo Lubkivskyi, Director of the Kyiv Security Forum and diplomat, stated this on Espreso TV.

"We're hearing quite contradictory signals and messages regarding the negotiations currently taking place with three parties involved. As for expecting results from these negotiations, I would be cautious, though there may be some room for optimism. Several signs point to this. First, if we look at the composition of negotiators, we see that representatives from the military sphere dominate. This is qualitatively different from the farce we saw in Istanbul or previous instances when Russia was represented by some caricature mediator—Medinsky, if I'm not mistaken—with his pseudo-historical lectures. Today we see substantive talks happening between military sphere representatives, which indicates discussion of military-technical parameters," Danylo Lubkivskyi commented.

In his view, however, these negotiations lack a political component, a political mandate, which EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas very directly points out. Thus, at this particular stage, we can expect certain technical solutions, without a broader political resolution.

"The test that will show how productive and successful these talks are will be an agreement, specifically, on stopping the bombardment of Ukraine's energy sector. Perhaps this will be the signal that allows us to assess whether this process has any prospects. As for direct negotiations with the Russians, of course direct negotiations with Russia are always a trap. And the reaction from Ushakov, Putin's adviser, suggesting that Zelenskyy should come to Moscow—that's a traditional formula that Moscow throws out. There's nothing new here; it's a KGB tactic we've heard many times before," the diplomat noted.

• On January 28, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the Kremlin is ready to receive Zelenskyy for negotiations. According to him, Trump proposed organizing a personal meeting between Russia's leader and Ukraine's president.