The United States urges Ukraine to be open to peace talks with Russia, but Kyiv has no interest in opening the door to talks with Moscow, an expert says.
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“For months, Ukraine has been winning victories and regaining territory, so what interest would it have in negotiating? And to negotiate what? The permanent cession of Donbas and Crimea? That Russia can rearm and attack the country again? It won’t happen, ”says Dominique Arel, a specialist in Ukraine attached to the University of Ottawa.
no opening
If the United States calls on Ukraine to be open to peace negotiations with Russia, everything will be decided on the ground, says the holder of the Chair in Ukrainian Studies.
“Ukraine has the wind in its sails after the takeover of territories in the east like Kharkiv, and now also Kherson. Russia is losing the war militarily, so from a diplomatic point of view there is no openness,” he adds.
The Ukrainian president is firm on his conditions: he wants the withdrawal of Russian troops from all the territory and reparations for the crimes perpetrated.
For François Audet, professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal and director of the Montreal Institute of International Studies, it is not surprising to see the United States pressuring Kyiv to undertake ceasefire talks -fire.
“The stagnating conflict pits the Russian and Ukrainian positions and leaves the population very vulnerable at this time of the year,” he explains.
Because Ukraine is indeed facing significant challenges, while nearly half of its energy infrastructure has been put out of use due to intense Russian bombardment in recent weeks.
“This deliberate strategy of targeting electrical infrastructure at this time is precisely aimed at affecting the civilian population. The cold, but also the ability to cook, in particular will affect civilians,” laments François Audet.
No pressure
For its part, the White House reiterated on Friday that only Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in a position to approve the opening of negotiations, rejecting any notion of American pressure on Kyiv.
“We also said it was up to President Zelensky to say if and when he would be ready for negotiations and what form those negotiations would take,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
– With AFP