Ukrainian diplomat, former Ambassador to the United States, Valeriy Chaly, stated that the possibility of a trilateral meeting between the presidents of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the USA—Donald Trump, and Russia—Vladimir Putin, is now under serious doubt, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to 24 Kanal.
According to Chaly, the Kremlin expected Trump to impose his negotiation script on the Ukrainian president, but this did not happen due to the intervention of European leaders.
The diplomat emphasized that Russia had intended to implement its own model for negotiations, which had previously been proposed in Anchorage, and hoped it would be accepted without changes. However, this did not succeed. The key question now is whether Russia will agree to a trilateral meeting in such a consolidated position, which may still change.
Important topics discussed in meetings with European leaders included ceasefire, the return of kidnapped children, prisoners, and journalists. Chaly also highlighted that President Zelensky can no longer fully comply with the Kremlin’s demands, as Russia had hoped. If their demands are not met, Russia may decide to sabotage the trilateral meeting.
According to the diplomat, European support in these matters is a crucial factor that will determine the feasibility of negotiations and the possibility of productive dialogue between the parties.
It is worth recalling that political analyst Andreas Umland believes that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have no chances of success. He argues that the Kremlin will not make concessions without additional sanctions and new victories by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the significant differences in the positions of the parties, including Putin’s demands for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops and official recognition of Crimea’s occupation, make such negotiations highly unlikely.
Earlier we wrote about possible Zelensky-Putin meeting in Hungary: what’s known so far.