Ukraine and USA plan to negotiate peace terms with Russia

Ukraine hopes that negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States will take place as early as next week, Andriy Yermak, the head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Photo: Komsomolskaya Pravda/Russian Look

Pravda.Ru tries to reflect on what the new agreement between Kyiv and Washingont may look like.

"Ukraine will begin negotiations with the United States on a bilateral agreement on the provision of security guarantees as early as next week. These guarantees will be in effect until Ukraine joins NATO, which is the most reliable guarantee of security," Yermak wrote on his Telegram channel.

Security guarantees for Ukraine will be specific and long-term obligations, he also said adding that it goes about defense and financial support, as well as sanctions.

Background

The news about such negotiations appeared for the first time during the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July. A significant part of the summit agenda was devoted to the Ukrainian crisis and the role of NATO in supporting Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the creation of the Ukraine-NATO Council. NATO's security guarantees for Ukraine are important, but the most important aspect is the supply of weapons, Stoltenberg then said.

In turn, the head of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov stressed that security guarantees from the G7 nuclear powers were important for Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his readiness to conclude new agreements in connection with security guarantees.

"We are now translating each agreement that we achieved with partners in Vilnius into our certain steps so that all agreements become certain results. A good summit should also bring good results,” he stressed.

Commenting on this idea, Russian President Putin said that he was "not against" such negotiations, but with one condition. He also stressed that it was Ukraine that refused security guarantees that were enshrined in draft agreements following the meeting in Istanbul.

"We are not opposed to discussing issues of this kind, provided that the security of the Russian Federation is ensured,” Russian President Putin said.

Step towards peace agreement?

Retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk said in an interview with Lenta.ru news site that negotiations on security guarantees could become a step towards peace.

"The [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky bloc announced that negotiations between Ukraine and the United States would begin next week to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. I understand that Zelensky is ready for the conclusion of a peace treaty, he needs to negotiate the "price" of this treaty […] Most likely, they begin to sound out opportunities for concluding a peace treaty,” Matviychuk said.

Russia will not be invited to such talks, he added.

"A number of Western media, especially American ones, said that the White House was dissatisfied with Zelensky's "policy of insults” that he demonstrates. Washington wants him to assess the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There are also territories for which Kyiv will continue to fight — no longer militarily, but diplomatically. Most likely, it will be Crimea," Anatoly Matviychuk said.

Failed counteroffensive result

Igor Gerasimov, a security expert and military analyst, said in an interview with Pravda.Ru that Kyiv was hoping for talks against the background of the failed counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"I think that Yermak's statement comes as a consequence of the failed counteroffensive. That is, they begin to think about negotiations. No wonder. If they fail, they will look for a way out in negotiations with the Russian Federation," he said.

Igor Gerasimov also believes that both negotiations and guarantees are absolutely "unpromising". Russia does not need to negotiate with Ukraine through the mediation of the United States, he said. Moreover, the negotiations between Ukraine and the United States on security guarantees will not affect the course of the special military operation, Gerasimov told Pravda.Ru.

"These negotiations are not needed, because if we stay where we are and give Ukraine time to be the Ukraine it is now, we will only get the conflict postponed [… ] We can no longer believe what they say, we can not rely on their words," the expert concluded.