Russia refused to negotiate with Ukraine: what is happening behind the scenes.

According to FREEДOM:

The situation with negotiations between Ukraine and Russia

After active diplomatic efforts, the Russian Federation has returned to its old methods of dragging out negotiations. The Kremlin rejected U.S. initiatives aimed at a peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine. This was stated on the FREEДОМ channel by Alexander Leonov, executive director of the Penta Center for Applied Political Studies.

'As for the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, nothing has changed here. Russia is still trying to buy time. In fact, Russia, through its foreign minister Lavrov, has refused all the promises made to U.S. President Donald Trump at the summit in Alaska,' noted the speaker.

The importance of military assistance

Leonov emphasized the importance of increasing military assistance to Ukraine and strengthening sanctions against Russia and its allies. The United Kingdom and the European Union are already working on new sanctions against the Russian Federation.

'Clearly, the question now is how to force Russia to start a peace process. I am convinced that if Donald Trump had introduced sanctions and tariffs as he promised during his ultimatum and then traveled to Alaska, the negotiation results would have been different. There are currently only two directions that need to be implemented: increasing military assistance to Ukraine and increasing sanction pressure on Russia and its allies,' emphasized Leonov.

Future meetings between Zelensky and Putin

The expert believes that a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not take place for now, and it should not be expected in the near future.

'In the near future, there will be no meetings between Vladimir Zelensky and the Russian dictator. This is evidenced by the fact that the Kremlin has resumed its old tune about the alleged illegitimacy of Ukrainian authorities. Just a few days ago, the question of a possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin was on the agenda. Now, however, Russia has returned to its old song, indicating that at least in the coming weeks such a meeting will not happen. Putin deceived Trump, who promised that the meeting would happen as soon as possible,' concluded the expert.

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted during a meeting with German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil that the Kremlin is making no concessions and continues to drag out the conflict. In light of Russia's changing position, the prospect of a peaceful resolution in Ukraine raises increasing concerns among the international community. At the same time, if military support from Western partners increases, Ukrainian forces may gain new opportunities to stabilize the situation on the front.