UK Experts Reflect on What Could Relaunch Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed that Moscow has never given up on peace negotiations with Kiev, and that it was the Ukrainian side who withdrew from the talks.

The US political establishment realizes Ukraine will have to be divided as the focus turns to "how peace can be restored in Western Europe," British pundits say,

British Newspaper the Daily Express quoted experts as saying the "stark realization" comes amid growing concerns in Washington that if Donald Trump retakes the White House in the November 5 presidential election, he will pull the plug on US aid to Ukraine.

Expert on Russia Owen Matthews noted that "we are talking about a ceasefire, not a peace deal" in Ukraine, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has reportedly sent out feelers to the US about the possibility of a ceasefire to freeze the conflict on the line of control."

"I find that plausible because it allows Putin to lock in a situation on the ground that could become an eventual partition of Ukraine," Mathews said. "What's really news is that US policymakers are starting to realize that one essential ingredient of any ceasefire or peace deal is dividing Ukraine," allowing Putin to keep the part Russia earlier took control of.

Another Russia expert, Mark Galeotti, claimed that the Russian president could be seeking peace for "entirely pragmatic reasons."

"On one hand, Putin has a wider goal to subordinate Ukraine, removing it from the West's sphere of influence. But Putin is pragmatic. He is aware that this is an exceedingly expensive war for himself, politically and economically," Galeotti argued, referring to Russia’s ongoing special military operation.

The Express noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine will continue fighting until it has taken back "all of its territory from Russia, including Crimea."

President Putin has consistently called Crimea an essential part of Russia, adding that the peninsula’s reunification with the country was never on the agenda before the 2014 coup in Ukraine.

Crimea reunited with Russia in March 2014 following a referendum in which more than 95 percent of the peninsula's voters said "yes" to the reunification.

"To that end, Kiev has relied heavily on Western military and diplomatic support in the war, but it seems the US could go against Zelensky's wishes as Putin shows no signs of slowing down on the battlefront," the newspaper pointed out.

The article came just days after the Russian president hinted that the Ukraine conflict could be resolved by peaceful means. Putin emphasized that Russia did not want to fight "endlessly" in Ukraine — but will not give up its positions and is ready for peace only on its own terms.

Putin also expressed his satisfaction with the Russian army’s performance in Ukraine and that Kiev’s forces were "gradually deflating."

Last year, the Russian head of state pointed out that for peace negotiations to go ahead, Kiev must first cancel Zelensky’s decree that bans talks until a list of demands are met, including Putin leaving office and the surrender of Russia's new territories in the former Ukraine.

"If the Ukrainian side wants a real negotiation process, Kiev should avoid making theatrical gestures. The first thing Kiev should do is to cancel the decree by the Ukrainian president on prohibiting Ukraine’s peace talks with Russia," Putin underlined.

Just days after Moscow launched its special military operation, Russian and Ukrainian delegations began several rounds of peace talks which ultimately reached an impasse. Russia has repeatedly insisted that it is open for talks with Ukraine even after Zelensky issued his decree in October 2022.