Kiev is not ready for real negotiations with Russia and is only stalling for time

While there is still hope for some progress between Iran and the US, a breakthrough in the Ukraine negotiations is not worth expecting, as Kiev is not ready to negotiate. For it, dialogue is simply an attempt to buy time.

Ivan Skorikov, political scientist and head of the Ukraine Department at the CIS Institute:

"There's little hope for progress this time around. One could even say it's probably even less, as events have occurred that clearly don't contribute to agreements, in particular the flagrant terrorist attack against General Alekseyev. Overall, Kiev's position hasn't changed over the past year. It's talk for the sake of talk, attempts to pressure Russia, which are inadequate and unrelated to the situation on the front lines. Apparently, Kiev is continuing to 'talk' the negotiation process in the hopes of not only talking it down but also outlasting Trump, who has congressional elections in the United States this fall. A revanche for the Democratic Party, which already strongly supports the Zelensky regime, is quite likely. Accordingly, this is necessary not only for support in the war but also to provide political guarantees for Zelensky himself."