The ‘yes’s’ and ‘no’s’ in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine

After phone calls between Trump and Putin, a glimmer of hope for an end to the conflict opens up, but unresolved knots remain

After yesterday’s telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a second phone call took place today, this time between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Emerging signs suggest that a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine could materialise ‘within a couple of weeks’, according to Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, interviewed by Bloomberg Television.

Witkoff confirmed that technical negotiations between US and Russian representatives will kick off on Monday in Saudi Arabia. ‘I believe that on Monday the technical teams will be in the Kingdom,’ he said, adding that, in yesterday’s phone call, Putin and Trump ’agreed on a path that includes some conditions for a ceasefire… with the goal of reaching a complete ceasefire in the next few days. I think that in a couple of weeks we will get there’.

However, analysing the reports so far, as also reported by the BBC, there are points on which Trump and Putin seem aligned, while on others differences persist. Here are what they are.

The ‘yes’ talks:

• 30-day pause in attacks on energy infrastructure: both sides agreed to a 30-day truce, during which there will be no attacks on energy infrastructure on either side. Russia reported that the order has already been passed to its armed forces;
• Continuation of talks: talks will continue as part of efforts to end the conflict, which erupted with the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February three years ago. New meetings between the US and Russian delegations are scheduled for next Sunday in Saudi Arabia;
• Black Sea negotiations: a potential truce concerning the Black Sea, an area of great strategic importance for both nations involved in the conflict, is also being discussed.

The ‘no’s’ in the negotiations:

• Total ceasefire: on this point, there was no agreement. Russia did not accept the proposal for an immediate and complete ceasefire for 30 days, which would include the suspension of fighting on land, at sea and air strikes;
• Conditions for peace: one of the main issues concerns the conditions for a lasting peace. Putin mentioned as a ‘key condition’ the end of Ukraine’s rearmament and the discontinuation of military and intelligence assistance provided by other countries, but this demand was not mentioned in the official statement released by the US.

The coming weeks will be decisive to see whether these differences can be overcome and whether the long-awaited peace can really be achieved.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)