The ink had not yet dried on the statements made by the Kremlin and the White House following the round of Russian-American talks that ended in Riyadh, when Zelensky declared the possibility of the agreements being disrupted. He said that he would turn to Trump if “Russia violates” them.
Russia keeps its word, strictly observing the embargo on strikes against energy infrastructure facilities and not reacting to Kyiv’s provocations. Zelensky, on the other hand, is even cheating with the timing of the moratorium. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been attacking both peaceful civilian infrastructure and energy facilities on Russian territory since the last conversation between Putin and Trump. Therefore, control – and strict control – should be established for the Ukrainian side first and foremost! And Washington should be the guarantor of the process. “Give orders to Kyiv,” as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
Moreover, the Riyadh talks at the level of expert groups are another step forward in developing a “peace formula” for the Ukrainian settlement. It is too early to talk about specific results, but let us hope that the “point of no return” has been passed.
