Lack of info signals no breakthrough in peace talks: expert on Putin-Witkoff meeting

Political scientist and international affairs expert Maksym Nesvitailov shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

"Basically, nothing extremely unexpected happened. More or less, this was to be expected. As soon as the information about Witkoff's trip appeared, I wrote that Trump was looking for room to maneuver, that he doesn’t really have a clear idea yet of what to do with these sanctions in the long term. And right now, that’s exactly how it looks. I seriously doubt there will be a meeting at the leaders’ level anytime soon. Honestly, I just don’t see how such a meeting could be arranged next week already — for Trump and Putin to meet. That’s not how it works. It just doesn’t work that way," he said.

Maksym Nesvitailov emphasized that, first of all, such a meeting simply cannot be physically arranged that quickly. And second, he sees no point in it, as there’s nothing to talk about.

“Secondly, what would they even talk about? Honestly, if there had been any breakthrough progress, some information would’ve already leaked. Trump has already spoken to Zelenskyy — if something were going on, someone in Russia or the U.S. would’ve leaked it by now. And the fact that there are no leaks doesn’t mean everything is super secret and sophisticated — it just means there’s nothing meaningful to talk about. And meet for what? To agree on an air ceasefire? That’s not serious. At the leaders’ level, there’s nothing to discuss, no reason to organize a meeting. So I believe, for now, it’s just empty talk,” the foreign policy expert said.

• On August 7, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that President Donald Trump could hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, provided that the positions of Ukraine, its European partners, and Russia can be brought closer together.
• During a White House briefing, U.S. President Donald Trump said there was a strong chance of a meeting with Vladimir Putin in the near future.