Russia-Ukraine negotiations unlikely to begin before February - political expert

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"I believe that a real negotiation process is unlikely to begin before February, and it will likely last several months. If we don’t reach some negotiating positions by the end of May, there is a high probability that we will be entering another year of war. The likelihood of extending the war into another year will increase sharply from that point," Denysenko suggested.

The political expert recalled that two weeks ago, Medvedev visited China, where political consultations likely took place. Medvedev reportedly conveyed to Xi Jinping that Russia currently has no intention of engaging in negotiations and plans to set terms that are unacceptable to Ukraine, the EU, or the United States.

"What are these conditions? First, that Ukraine will never join NATO. The second condition was voiced by Lavrov a few days ago when he said that Russia’s demands involve a Czechoslovakian or Finnish scenario, where a country is forced to officially cede part of its territory. In other words, Lavrov demands that Ukraine officially renounce Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions during negotiations. But this is impossible," Denysenko emphasized.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted that Ukraine must give up its territories, once again proving that Russia has no interest in genuine negotiations.