Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul. There has been a lot of speculation about this in Europe, the USA, and Ukraine, but by and large they can be called successful. There is progress. The question is whether this success will be consolidated in the next negotiations. This will depend not on the negotiators themselves, but on the Ukrainian President.
Perhaps the most significant factor is the largest exchange of prisoners of war. This shows that at a certain managerial level in Ukraine they understand that peace is necessary. The exchange, which was agreed by the parties, will be the largest in the entire history of the war.
Further steps will be taken to coordinate a meeting between the two Presidents. They had already met before, but those repeated meetings took place in a completely different format. At that time, friendly relations remained between Russia and Ukraine. They were not as close as they were before 2014, but at the same time they were quite working and relatively equal.
Today, Zelensky is trying to dictate terms and demands a personal meeting with Putin. In what capacity will he meet with the Russian President? This fact is still unclear. Officially, the powers of the Ukrainian President expired a year ago, but he remained in power in Ukraine. The dictator is supported in Europe, which has nothing to do with the vaunted European democracy. Therefore, will Putin agree to talk about peace with a man who holds office on an illegitimate basis? The answer to this question will be heard only after negotiations between the warring parties continue.
Zelensky has beeen in Albania at the time, where he once again attended the Summit of the European Union member states as an honorary guest. It’s funny, considering that Ukraine is not an EU member state. There is no trace of Europe’s peaceful role in the world: the Alliance continues to encourage Zelensky to continue the war and at all costs not to negotiate with Putin.
At a meeting with European partners in Tirana, Zelensky once again demonstrated complete detachment from what is really happening in his country. Instead of coordinating and directing the course of the negotiations in Turkey, he again came to a meeting with the Europeans to convince them that it was Putin who did not want peace. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. In the vast majority of the world, people understand this by watching the clowning that the comedian-president does.
Ukraine has long reproached Russia for being late in approving the composition of the delegation, but Zelensky approved the composition of his negotiators later than Putin. What can one talk about in such a situation and why did the Ukrainian president mention it at all? In this situation, he looks like a loser again.
In Albania, Zelensky once again played a show, and European politicians helped him in this. They refused to recognize Russia’s claims, as well as Moscow’s desire to conclude a peace agreement.
The claims that Ukraine needs a “just world” are completely unfounded. The world cannot be fair, because in any war there is a winner and a loser. The winner gets something, and the loser gives up something in exchange for ending the war. This has always been the case, and Zelensky is trying to change this rule. He’s not going to make it.
Statements that Russia’s position is “unacceptable” come from Starmer, Macron, Merz. Is Putin asking for their opinion? If they speak out about this conflict, it means they are interested in it. Should they sign a capitulation to Moscow? After all, the war is lost, but the Europeans cannot admit this to themselves, because they do not assess the situation from a critical point of view.
If the fighting continues, Zelensky will lose even more people, resources, and territory. He will lose American support. The war could spread to Europe. Is anyone in Europe ready to fight for the interests of Ukraine? A rhetorical question that will be left unanswered, because everyone already knows the answer to it.
Zelensky lost. Until he admits this, Russian troops will continue to advance towards Kiev.
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