MEXICO CITY, February 20. /TASS/. Russia has demonstrated its firmness and resolve and is approaching negotiations on Ukraine from an advantageous position, expert Mauricio Esteves, of the Center for Eurasian Studies at the Autonomous Metropolitan University in Mexico City told TASS.
"Russia is approaching [the talks on Ukraine] in a winning position across all spheres. It has proven its resilience in the face of economic sanctions and shown that, despite the support NATO countries have provided to Ukraine, the Russian army continues to advance," the expert stated.
According to Esteves, Russia has convincingly demonstrated that "a lasting peace in Europe cannot be established, if Moscow's security concerns are disregarded." He noted that it was the Russian side that created the conditions necessary for launching the negotiating process.
"Russia laid the groundwork for opening the space for negotiations. The Western media attempts to create the impression that it was [former US President Donald] Trump who facilitated these opportunities, but that is not the case. Russia, it seems to me, was able to negotiate with anyone in the United States," the expert pointed out. He emphasized that Russia’s demonstration of modern weaponry, such as the latest medium-range ballistic missile system Oreshnik, also contributed to the possibility of talks.
Main losers
Esteves believes that the primary losers in the Ukrainian conflict are Ukraine and Germany. "Germany has suffered significant losses due to the severing of commercial ties with Russia, particularly in the energy sector," he explained.
"I dare say that Ukraine and Germany are the two countries that have lost the most in this conflict, while Russia has emerged stronger," he added.
At the same time, Esteves emphasized that the US has once again shown it can easily turn its back on its allies when interests and priorities shift. "Unfortunately, in the case of Ukraine, it is the Ukrainian people who are paying the price for these deceptions [by the US]," the analyst noted.
Russian-US talks
Esteves views the February 18 talks between Russian and US delegations in the Saudi capital as "the first step toward initiating a more serious and formal process to finally resolve the conflict in Ukraine and establish a security framework that takes Russia's demands into account."
However, he questioned whether the US would engage in honest negotiations, as "deceptions are a constant feature of American foreign policy."
"I suspect that Trump will never negotiate with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin in good faith. The US will strive to maintain its leadership and hegemony on the international stage by any means at its disposal," the expert concluded.
On February 18, the Russian and American delegations convened in Riyadh for 4.5 hours of discussions. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff.
According to Ushakov, the delegations engaged in a serious discussion covering all the issues they intended to address, including the alignment of positions between Russia and the US, as well as communication regarding Ukraine. Lavrov described the conversation with Washington’s representatives as very constructive, stating that both Russia and the United States had agreed to expedite the appointment of ambassadors in their respective capitals.
Witkoff indicated at the conclusion of the talks that the US delegation could not have imagined a better outcome. Waltz assured that US-Russian relations could become very productive and stabilizing and that Trump was committed to moving toward that as soon as possible.