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There is significant chance Trump's efforts on Ukraine will bear fruit — expert

According to senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations Charles Kupchan, that objective is desirable, but a settlement will be much more difficult to achieve than a ceasefire

WASHINGTON, January 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements about his readiness for dialogue on Ukraine with the new head of the US administration Donald Trump are a positive signal, and there is a significant chance that the parties' efforts will bear fruit, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and former senior director for European affairs at the White House National Security Council Charles Kupchan said in an interview with TASS.

"Putin's statement that he is open to dialogue with Trump over Ukraine and nuclear arms is a positive sign; there is a reasonable chance that Trump's efforts to end the war will bear fruit," he said.

According to him, "Putin also stated that he wanted a lasting peace settlement, not just a ceasefire. That objective is desirable, but a settlement will be much more difficult to achieve than a ceasefire. Putin may predicate a lasting settlement on demands that Ukraine, Europe, and probably Trump himself will find it very hard to accept — such as Ukrainian neutrality, recognition of occupied Ukraine as Russian territory, and the removal of sanctions. A ceasefire may be attainable, but a lasting peace settlement may well remain out of reach."

As Putin said earlier at a meeting of the Russian Security Council, Moscow is open to dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict, the most important thing is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis. He confirmed that Russia takes into account the statements of Trump and his team about the desire to restore contacts, as well as the need to do everything to a world war.