MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/. Statements by representatives of the West and officials in Kiev are indicative that they would like to reach a ceasefire by the end of the year, but its format has not been determined yet, Andrey Koshkin, the head of the political science department at the Plekhanov Russian Economic University, told TASS.
He drew attention to recent statements heard from both officials in Kiev and the West about difficulties with Ukraine's counterattack and external pressures on the Kiev authorities in this regard.
Koshkin suspects that this may indicate the West would like to see a ceasefire.
"We see information pouring from all sources about the need to change the power paradigm to some other, most likely a conciliatory one. This is the main information agenda today," Koshkin said. In his opinion, both in Kiev and in the West one can hear a "note of pessimism" in connection with the current situation.
"Everyone was able to see and hear the coordinator for strategic communications in the White House’s National Security Council, John Kirby, express his opinion that, of course, the successes that had been expected before Kiev's summer counter-offensive have not materialized. The fall is coming, and in the fall it will be very difficult to use both drones and air defenses and to maneuver on the battlefield. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba is beginning to say something like that, too, that they have a ‘very difficult political fall season’ ahead. That is, he is talking about some kind of active negotiation phase," the analyst continued. "Yes, in fact, such indirect signs may indicate that they are thinking about achieving truce by the end of the year. In what form, though, is still anyone’s guess. There are many options."
At the same time, Koshkin described the meeting in Jeddah on Ukraine as an attempt by the collective West to "reformat" the viewpoint of those countries that are skeptical towards its position on the Ukrainian issue and "to force them make friends" with the West.
Negotiations without progress
As Timofei Bordachev, program director of the Valdai Discussion Club, noted, the meeting in Jeddah has "nothing to do with Ukraine."
"Meetings of this type, of course, cannot bring about progress. Only a direct dialog between Russia and the United States can work, because this is an indirect conflict in which Russia and the United States are fighting against each other. Therefore, negotiations can only be between them," the expert said.
The board chairman of the Foundation for the Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, Andrey Bystritsky, finds it "difficult to count on successful peace talks" in the current situation. "By themselves peace initiatives are a good thing. It is good that many countries are involved and that they are offering different solutions and approaches. But as long as Russia's goals remain unachieved, and as long as Ukraine disagrees with the formula that Russia proposes, of course, it will be difficult to count on successful peace talks."
Meeting in Jeddah
The consultations in Jeddah took place on August 5-6. They were attended by representatives of more than 40 countries and international organizations, including Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Germany, Egypt, India, Qatar, China, the United Arab Emirates, the US, Turkey, Ukraine, France, Chile and the UN. According to the DPA news agency, it was initially intended to discuss only Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's "peace plan," but eventually another initiative was announced. It was presented by the host country, Saudi Arabia, together with a number of states. Part of the plan was allegedly the preservation of Ukraine's territorial integrity, a cease-fire on all fronts, the start of peace talks under the auspices of the UN and the exchange of prisoners.
Commenting on the consultations held in Saudi Arabia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that by pressing for the Zelensky's "formula" Kiev and the West were trying to belittle the initiatives of other countries and to monopolize the right to put forward peace proposals.