“No changes are expected until December”: Expert explains why the talks ended with nothing

Political analyst Ruslan Bortnik explained that the only outcome of the talks in the United States was an attempt to meet in December at the G20, because Trump is currently focused on the elections, while Ukraine and Russia are not backing down from their positions, reports Politeka.

He spoke about this in his blog.

As Zelensky stated, the expert notes, the United States is promoting three key points as part of its de-escalation efforts: an energy ceasefire, a grain corridor, and a trilateral format for talks in Abu Dhabi. However, he argues, this looks very pro-Ukrainian: if Witkoff and Kushner went to Moscow with such proposals, they would not even be allowed through the door. According to the expert, we should wait for the results of U.S. contacts with Russia, because so far the sides have only exchanged ultimatums.

“The most the sides agreed on is that maybe we will meet at the G20 summit in Miami in December this year. To me, this is the most telling sign. If, as a result of the talks, we say that maybe we will meet in December, then how successful do you think these talks were?” emphasizes Ruslan Bortnik.

Ukraine and its European partners, the expert notes, are insisting on their own agenda. Trump, he explains, is not particularly trying to put pressure on Zelensky right now because Ukraine as a state and Ukrainians as a society retain considerable sympathy among the American public. Therefore, Trump does not want to look like Ukraine’s executioner or enemy; from an electoral standpoint, this is not advantageous for him right now.

“But there are no agreements either. And what are we told in the end? Let’s talk in December. That means we will be hammered for at least two months. No changes are expected until December. So, well, that’s something. It seems to me that this scenario suits Moscow quite well, because it intends to make use of its air superiority, including in attack drones, to destroy the Ukrainian rear and infrastructure as much as possible. Our interest is an immediate ceasefire; Moscow’s interest is to bomb for as long as possible,” explains Ruslan Bortnik.