It became known that one of the main issues during the visit of the President of Russia to Ankara will be a proposal to do everything possible on the part of Turkey so that it is here that the leaders of Kyiv and the Kremlin hold a meeting to start peace negotiations. According to Turkish politicians, this is absolutely necessary for the cessation of fire and casualties among military personnel and civilians on the part of both warring countries.
Knight with a platform
Turkey is ready to become a platform where the leaders of Ukraine and Russia will meet. At the same time, it is noted that the host country will not influence the negotiation process or impose its vision of settling the armed conflict. President Erdoğan is confident that the peace talks are the only process that can now be seen as a win-win for both sides because the joint goal number one is to stop the bloodshed.
Such ideas sound good, but now we must look at the facts. Russia continues to accuse Ukraine of refusing a “constructive” dialogue. However, it continues to point out that the only basis for starting negotiations is the full acceptance of the Kremlin’s terms and Kyiv’s renunciation of the occupied Ukrainian territories, which now make up about 20% of all of Ukraine.
“Random” changes
Putin’s visit to Ankara, during which they wanted to offer him a negotiating platform, was scheduled for February 12, and until the latter, Moscow assured that the planned meeting would take place. But literally, in a few days, it became known that everything was postponed to April-May. The reason is “a tight schedule before the elections.” However, world experts believe that all this rhetoric, which is most highlighted in the Russian mass media, as well as the postponement of the visit, is a cynical informational and psychological operation aimed at influencing the mood of Ukrainians.
The truth is that neither at the beginning of 2022 nor now, the Kremlin is interested in peace negotiations if they do not mean the complete capitulation of Ukraine. The demands have changed slightly: now Putin does not demand the removal from power of the current President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This is quite logical because the term of his cadence has expired, and in the next elections, Zelenskyy actually has no chance. However, most likely, he will not put forward his candidacy. Therefore, the change of the leader will happen by itself, and Russia will focus all its efforts on facilitating the coming to power of a pro-Russian candidate, even if entirely different theses will be voiced in the election campaign to gain the loyalty of Ukrainians. After that, it will be possible to start the third act of the drama to capture the neighbor with more peaceful or the same aggressive methods as before.
