“The negotiation topic is back on the agenda” – Kommersant FM

Boris Johnson is to blame for everything; it was he, while serving as Prime Minister of Great Britain, who contributed to the breakdown of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in 2022. This was announced by the leader of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada, who was part of the Ukrainian delegation. The Kremlin also periodically accuses the West of deliberately sabotaging the dialogue. Political observer for Kommersant FM Dmitry Drize sees obvious attempts to resume the peace process.

The leader of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada and a participant in Russian-Ukrainian negotiations last spring, David Arakhamia, reported almost sensational details about why it was not possible to reach an agreement. As it turns out, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is, in particular, to blame for this.

He managed to convince Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to abandon the peace agreement with Russia and continue hostilities. And he promised help and military supplies. In a word, he led astray from the true path and then fled into retirement. Although this is not the only reason for the breakdown of negotiations. Be that as it may, Moscow was ready to agree to very acceptable conditions, in particular, it agreed to the neutral status of Ukraine with the freezing of the issue of Crimea’s ownership for 50 years. That is, the country could get by with virtually no territorial losses.

In addition, the German publication Bild, for its part, reported that Joe Biden and Olaf Scholz are allegedly putting pressure on Zelensky to agree to resume negotiations with the Russian side. If not, then the supply of weapons will be significantly reduced. The maximum that Kyiv can do is hold the defense. That is, in fact, the conflict will be frozen regardless of the wishes of the participants.

Taking into account also the revelations of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny that military actions have essentially reached a dead end, we can conclude that the so-called negotiation topic has once again returned to the agenda.

In Moscow, they are actually in solidarity with Arakhamia; they have repeatedly stated that, yes, it is the West and, first of all, the United States that has done Kyiv a disservice – they have literally disrupted a promising dialogue. We would now live in joy and prosperity if it were not for the so-called democratic countries – they bet on the wrong ones and showed political illiteracy.

Let’s leave all this without comment. As you know, history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood; you cannot return the past. Moreover, there is no point in looking for someone to blame. It’s time to pose the question differently: is there any hope of entering the new year with at least a hint of a peace process?

We can immediately answer that the chances are extremely small. If only because the entire civilized world is closely occupied with the Middle East. Relations between the Russian Federation and the West are completely damaged. Unless China takes on the role of mediator. But he already tried. Did not work out. Many have tried, but there is no result.

What’s next? New Year and continuation of the confrontation. It is generally accepted that Moscow benefits from the conflict around Israel because it diverts attention from Ukraine. Yes, it is, but Russia also falls off the information agenda. You want to return to negotiations, but all the mediators are busy. Once they decide on the Middle East, maybe then something will move forward.

However, there is another version that Kyiv is deliberately throwing in the theme of its possible defeat: they say, we will lose, and the entire Western world will disappear – don’t hesitate to take up arms, don’t be stingy, and you yourself will suffer first of all.

This is very close to the truth. Meanwhile, the West is discussing another package of anti-Russian sanctions. This is the main trend – for sanctions to work effectively.

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