Peace talks without Russia's true commitment are futile and naïve, Ukrainian diplomat says

Ukrainian diplomat Volodymyr Ohryzko shared this opinion in an interview with Anton Borkovskyi, host of the program Studio West on Espreso TV.

"If you expect a memorandum from Russia, I have to disappoint you and our readers — there won’t be anything new. What’s being leaked to the press only shows that Russia will play games in the negotiations. What surprises me most is the position of our Western partners, including the Americans. For some reason, they believe that just sitting at the negotiating table will change something. Either they don’t understand Russia at all, or they do and are still playing games," he said.

In his opinion, the real issue isn’t whether negotiations will start, but what position Russia will take and whether Russia can be made to understand that continuing the war will have fatal consequences. That is what should be the focus. Instead, attention is being given to the location of the talks and what might be written there.

"Honestly, this is all child’s play. Watching this, it’s hard to tell if it’s playing into Putin’s hands or if some Western partners are showing astonishing childish naivety. The negotiations themselves mean nothing. In my view, it’s better to calmly, dare I say even cynically, step away from this, because there is no point in fooling oneself with plans that will never actually happen," he concluded.

Ukraine-Russia peace talks: background

On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the U.S., and Turkey took place in Istanbul, followed by direct negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine. According to Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the key issues were a prisoner exchange in a “1000 for 1000” format, the possibility of a ceasefire, and a potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

On May 19, Donald Trump, after a conversation with Vladimir Putin, announced the immediate start of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. However, on May 20, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that there were no timelines for preparing a peace memorandum. Later, on May 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared that Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not have the authority to sign a peace memorandum and that Ukraine must elect a new president.

On May 27, U.S. President’s special representative Keith Kellogg announced that Washington had received a document from Ukraine outlining conditions for peace and is now awaiting a memorandum from Russia. He also mentioned a possible location for future negotiations between the parties. On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan proposed Istanbul as the venue for a new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine.

On May 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that an announcement about a new round of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian sides would supposedly be made soon. At the same time, Dmitry Peskov noted that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is possible only if concrete agreements are reached. He also added that work on the Russian draft memorandum is almost complete.

On May 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Rustem Umerov had called Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky, but the Ukrainian side still has not received a memorandum from Russia. After this, Lavrov stated that the Russian delegation is ready to present their memorandum at the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the Russian side is delaying the peace process aimed at ending the war.