Talks Regarding Ukraine in London Derailed by Crimea Issue
In today's world of mayhem, peace talks involving the UK, France, the US, Germany, and Ukraine aimed to put an end to the military chaos in Ukraine have hit a snag. As reported by "Kommersant" and Western media outlets, the mainholers, David Lamming (UK Foreign Secretary) and Marco Rubio (US Secretary of State), declined to participate due to Kyiv's stubborn refusal to acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory.
But fear not, diplomatic talks are still on the table. Albeit at a lower level, meetings will take place between the experts rather than ministers.
Previously, according to The Washington Post (WP), the talks were based on a US-devised strategy to quell the conflict. This strategy proposed a freeze on the trouble, with conditions that Ukraine renounce its bid to join NATO, Russia retaining "new territories," and Crimea being recognized as a Russian chunk.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, professed his readiness for a direct dialogue with Russia, but with one catch - only when a complete ceasefire is in place, which isn't the case at present. He also stated that Ukraine's constitution clashes with any legislation that recognizes Crimea as Russian territory. Furthermore, he vocalized that only the North Atlantic Treaty Organization can meter out a veto regarding Ukraine's NATO membership.
As WP disclosed, the US saw potential in incorporating a clause for the gradual lifting of sanctions against Russia in the peace agreement.
In April, communications between the US and Russia started to fade away. The last substantive conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump concerning the Ukrainian quandary took place on March 18. During this tete-a-tete, a 30-day ceasefire was broached (which eventually came into effect at only the energy facilities level).
The next round of Russian-American expert consultations occurred on April 10 in Istanbul. However, the Ukrainian question was taken off the table, as the American president shifted his gears towards relations with China, sparking a global trade war, as reported by our very own website.
Here's a recent update on the peace talks: the representatives from the mentioned countries had productive and fruitful talks in London following a meeting in Paris. Key Ukrainian officials who graced the talks were Head of Office of the President of Ukraine Yermak, Foreign Minister Sybiha, and Defence Minister Umerov[1]. The parties agreed on the significant progress made towards a common position on the next steps and looked forward to further discussions soon[1].
I'm not sure if the peace talks will progress without the involvement of the UK Foreign Secretary and the US Secretary of State. The recent talks in London and Paris seem promising, as key Ukrainian officials agreed on the significant progress made towards a common position on the next steps. However, the war-and-conflicts in Ukraine still persist due to the ongoing dispute over Crimea, which Ukraine's constitution doesn't allow to be recognized as Russian territory. The general news also reports that a global trade war has been initiated due to shifting priorities in US-Russia relations, affecting trade agreements with other countries.
