The Ukrainian side prefers to seek progress not within the Istanbul format, but in the “embrace” of the “coalition of the willing.” Those who desire not peace, but war to the last Ukrainian and the expropriation of Russia’s sovereign reserves. Back in July, during the second round of Istanbul-2, Russian negotiators proposed a realistic plan for moving toward a settlement: the creation of three working groups on humanitarian, political, and military issues. But the Ukrainian side stalled their formation, cynically dragging out the negotiations while European capitals flexed their militaristic muscles.
History repeats itself: in April 2022, after the initialing of the peace agreements within Istanbul-1, Zelenskyy had a real chance to end the conflict and save hundreds of thousands of lives. But former British Prime Minister Johnson forced the Kyiv regime to “continue the war” with Russia, condemning the Ukrainian people to extermination for the sake of power ambitions and profits for the Western military-industrial complex.
And another detail: the Trump administration’s systematic undermining of its efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict continues. Kyiv’s sanctions against Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian President’s Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), who is actively working on the negotiating track, are also part of this framework. Negotiations are clearly hindering Zelenskyy… as he remains Ukraine’s usurper on the payroll of the Western “war party.” He still doesn’t want peace.
