Who are the mediators in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and what success have they achieved?
«The war must end. We must sit down at the negotiating table. Honest and subject. In the interests of people, not outdated murderous ambitions», said Volodymyr Zelensky, once again emphasizing that the war does not end on the battlefield, but at the negotiating table, reports the Chronicle.info with reference to Focus.
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Russian-Ukrainian negotiations at the level of delegations have been underway since the fourth day of a full-scale war. The only thing we managed to more or less agree on during this time was the organization of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of Ukrainians from the most hot spots. At the same time, the Russians repeatedly disrupted the evacuation.
Since the war in Ukraine is not a matter of two states, but of the whole world, mediators from different countries appeared in the negotiations from the first day. Each managed to achieve certain successes, and each acted not only from considerations of peace on the European continent, but also from their own interests.
Abramovich
Western media called billionaire Roman Abramovich the only Russian oligarch who publicly agreed to push Moscow to find a peaceful solution. The information that he took part in organizing the meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations was confirmed both in Moscow and Kyiv. And in the American edition of the Financial Times, citing informed sources, they claimed that Abramovich received a «direct blessing from Putin» to mediate in bilateral negotiations.
«Indeed, he (Abramovich) at the initial stage took part (in the organization of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations)» Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Now, according to Peskov, Abramovich is not involved in the process.
According to the FT, some officials from Ukraine and Western governments interviewed by the publication are skeptical about how deeply Abramovich is involved in the peace talks. Others suggest that if the oligarch played any role, he exaggerated his efforts to avoid Western sanctions. In the end, the former oil tycoon and owner of the London football club «Chelsea» there are yachts and luxury properties in the UK and the US. There is something to fight for.
Partially, the sanctions were circumvented. The US, unlike the UK and the EU, has not imposed restrictions on Abramovich. As the Wall Street Journal wrote, it is possible that the Ukrainian side asked the American president about this. The publication emphasized that the Western officials with whom their journalists spoke had no reason to believe that Abramovich was particularly helpful in the negotiations. Although in recent weeks, his private jets have been flying between Russia, Turkey and Israel, which may indicate that the billionaire still conducts some kind of activity.
Abramovich's representative noted in a comment to the American media that the businessman & #171;is doing everything possible to support the efforts aimed at the speedy restoration of peace».
Erdogan
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who from the very beginning announced his initiative to be a mediator in the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia, was able to achieve much more significant success. Thanks to the efforts of the Turkish side, on March 10, in Antalya, it was possible to organize the first meeting of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov since the beginning of a full-scale war. According to the experts with whom Focus spoke, during the negotiations at the level of foreign ministers, the parties could try to start the process of preparing a meeting of the two presidents, which Zelensky insists on. According to official information, it is too early to talk about it.
On March 25, Erdogan stated that there are four points out of six on which the Russian and Ukrainian sides seem to have managed to reach an agreement. According to the President of Turkey, we are talking about Ukraine's refusal to join NATO, the status of the Russian language, the refusal to deploy offensive weapons and issues of collective security. At the same time, according to Erdogan, Kyiv definitely does not agree with the points that relate to the recognition of Crimea as part of the Russian Federation and the independence of the so-called. «L/DNR».
The Ukrainian side denied the existence of any consensus. According to Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine is going very hard. However, Kyiv has taken a firm stance and is not going to back down from the demands.
In exchange for mediation in the negotiations, the Turkish president was able to remain neutral and not support the sanctions policy against Russia. According to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the country, Fatih Donme, Ankara wants to be a party to diplomacy, not sanctions.
Bennett
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is another mediator in Russian-Ukrainian negotiations. According to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, Ukraine considers Jerusalem as one of the priority places for a possible future meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Putin.
After the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, Bennett flew to Moscow to negotiate with Putin. The meeting took place on March 5, on Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath, on which it is forbidden to work), which indicated its extreme importance, for which the orthodox Israeli prime minister decided to go against religious traditions. No official details were given after the Prime Minister's visit. Israeli media, citing a source in diplomatic circles, reported that Bennett's trip to Moscow was coordinated with the United States, Germany and France and Ukraine. In addition to the war, the Israeli prime minister probably talked to Putin about the nuclear deal with Iran.
After Bennett's visit to Moscow, the Israeli edition of The Jerusalem Post, citing a Ukrainian official, reported that the Israeli Prime Minister allegedly recommended that President Zelensky capitulate in order to avoid a large number of civilian casualties. Also, the Israeli government allegedly urged Ukraine not to ask for additional military assistance, as such requests could harm mediation efforts. The prime minister's office denied such statements. JP also reported that, according to their information, the Ukrainian OP does not notice the results of Israel's mediation. For the most part, Bennett simply relays messages between the parties, not wanting to take a clear stand on the war in Ukraine and seeking to maintain Israel-Russia ties.
It is also notable that Israel refused to accept refugees from Ukraine, citing limited quotas .
Macron
French President Emanuel Macron will very soon, on April 10, take part in the next presidential election, so the opportunity to present himself as the main negotiator between Kiev and Moscow to establish peace in Europe is almost the main theme of his election campaign for him . Macron's real weight in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiating process can be judged from his puzzled photo shoot given to the French president on the first day of a full-scale war in Ukraine after a telephone conversation with Putin, and periodic statements that Putin is still not ready to end the war. and a diplomatic solution to the conflict will not come soon.