Russia will not agree to a 30-day suspension of weapons, because it is preparing for the offensive and is planning to enter the Dnipropetrovsk region-assessed on Tuesday Ukrainian political scientist Jewhen Mahda, head of the Institute of World Policy in Kiev.
“Russia wants to dictate, and because of its political position, it tries to show that it can push everything. That is why it is quite a clear position at the moment. I see no reason why Russia would agree to a 30 -day suspension of weapons. It is preparing for the offensive, where it concentrated significant forces, he has, for example, the perspective of the entrance to the Dnepropetitian region and this is quite realistic” expert.
The President of Ukraine Wołodymyr Zelanski stated on Tuesday that he wants to negotiate an unconditional 30-day suspension of weapons at a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin during talks in Turkey this week, because only the Russian leader can decide about it.
“I think that Zelanski with Putin will simply not happen. There is no illusions about it. Putin is a coward. And in this situation, honestly, I see no reason to expect that he will come to Turkey” – noted Mahda.
In his opinion, the Ukrainian leader does a good job, but he has too high expectations. “He expects large sanctions, but will it be real? It is not so far,” he noted.
Zelanski reminded on Tuesday that Ukraine invited US President Donald Trump to a Thursday meeting, but there is no confirmation of his presence. “I do not know the decision of the US President, but in any case, if he confirmed his participation, I think it would give Putin an additional impulse to arrive,” he added.
According to expert, Putin needs US President Donald Trump as a political figure he can influence. “In fact, hypothetical three -sided conversations pose a serious threat to Ukraine. Because in my experience it shows that Putin's ability to psychological influence on Trump is greater in this respect than Zelanski,” he explained.
The President of Ukraine announced a meeting with the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday and announced an agreement between them about a joint flight to Istanbul, if Putin arrives there.
“Erdogan can be seen as a potential mediator, this is the subject of discussion and we see that efforts are made to make it happen. From a different angle, China cautiously signal that they support a 30 -day suspension of weapons. There is a signal that a pool of mediators may arise, but still a long way,” said Mahda.
According to the expert, Ukraine has no other choice but to continue diplomacy and increase support for the armed forces of Ukraine.
“Russia has no instrumental mechanism that could stop war. They focused in their armed forces +carcass +that the arrest of war would now mean creating a threat, spilling it inside their country” – explained Mahda.
“We must understand that there will be no complete cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, but only their suspension, and in the case of suspension, Russia will hit the EU country, which borders with it, with a probability exceeding 80 percent, to destroy Euro -Atlantic unity. In the current situation I have very serious doubts whether the United States will defend their European partners,” said Mahda.
From Kiev Iryna Hirnyk
