U.S. Sets June Deadline for End-of-War Talks
European Intelligence Chiefs Offer Pessimistic Outlook
“Russia Engaged in Negotiation Theatre”
On the 17th (local time), a pedestrian walked along a street in Odesa, Ukraine, that had been reduced to rubble by a Russian drone strike. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
In contrast to the United States, which has set June as the deadline for concluding negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war, European intelligence agencies are reportedly assessing that Russia has no plans to enter into peace talks within this year.
Reuters reported on the 19th (local time) that the heads of five European intelligence agencies, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russia does not want to end the war quickly, offering this pessimistic outlook.
One European intelligence chief described the trilateral talks among the United States, Russia, and Ukraine held in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 17th and 18th as “negotiation theatre.” The meeting was convened to discuss an end-of-war plan but ended after two hours without any notable outcome.
Another European intelligence chief said, “Russia is not seeking a peace settlement,” adding, “They are pursuing strategic objectives, and those objectives have not changed.” Reuters explained that this includes ousting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and turning Ukraine into a “neutral buffer zone.”
Another official pointed out that Russia neither wants nor needs a quick peace. He also assessed that the Russian economy is not in a state close to collapse.
Regarding the territorial issue, considered the biggest stumbling block in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, the outlook is that it will not be easily resolved. Russia, which currently occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory including the Crimean Peninsula, is demanding full control over the Donetsk region.
According to the Kyiv Post and Russia’s TASS news agency, a Western source in Abu Dhabi said that as a condition for peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, Russia is demanding that the international community officially recognize the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine (Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts) as Russian territory.
Another European intelligence official warned that even if Ukraine were to concede its own territory in line with Russia’s demands, there is a high likelihood that Russia would make additional demands. He suggested that territorial concessions would mark the beginning of negotiations, not their end.
Anouar El Aounouni, spokesperson for the European Union (EU) for foreign affairs, also criticized Russia’s stance in a briefing the previous day regarding the recent talks, saying, “We do not see concrete signs that Russia is seriously engaging to secure peace in Ukraine,” and adding that Russia is not ready to enter into peace negotiations.
By contrast, the U.S. government, with the November midterm elections ahead, has a policy goal of securing a peace agreement by June. President Donald Trump said in his National Prayer Breakfast address on the 5th, “We are working very hard to end that entire war,” adding, “We are very close to an end. We have almost done it.”
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, in response to a request for comment from Reuters, said, “Anonymous criticism does nothing to help efforts to end the war.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
