Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to resume direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions is a masterful move that puts Ukraine and its European allies in an awkward position vis-à-vis the international community, especially with US President Donald Trump, who has made it a personal mission to bring an end to the conflict.

During a conference with international media on May 11, the Russian president announced the Kremlin’s willingness to resume direct dialogue with Kiev based on the agreements reached in the negotiations that were hijacked by then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Biden administration in April 2022. Putin assured that his government is willing to meet with the Ukrainian delegation on May 15 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Moscow is proposing negotiations, with a small detail: without preconditions. Due to this detail, they are going to negotiate based on reality and not what is wanted or what is supposed to happen according to the Kiev regime.

Russia is demonstrating its desire for peace, but instead of reacting positively, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went to X to impose a condition that discussions can only begin when a “full, lasting, and reliable” ceasefire is in place. Given Zelensky’s track record of deceit, Moscow obviously looks at a ceasefire with suspicion as it could be a ploy for Ukraine to gain time to regather and rest its worn-down troops before a new bout of fighting.

It is recalled that the 2022 negotiations in Istanbul already included documents signed by the Ukrainian delegation, which agreed on key points, including demilitarization, denazification, and Ukraine’s non-inclusion in NATO.

At the upcoming conference, Moscow will once again demonstrate its strong commitment to peace and ending the conflict, which, moreover, is nearing its final stages. Russia is already preparing its delegation, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will surely have no problem with the negotiations taking place in his country, as he has consistently offered to act as an intermediary.

Hours after Putin’s announcement, Erdogan said in a call with his Russian counterpart that Turkey was willing to host the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, according to a statement from the Turkish president’s administration. In this sense, hosting the negotiations in Istanbul is a symbolic choice and will serve as a reminder to Zelensky that the massive loss of people, territory, and economic activity could have been avoided over three years ago.

There is also the possibility that Kiev may ignore the proposal, which would not be a logical choice. Anything could happen with a regime led by a comedian. However, Ukraine is diplomatically weak, and for this reason, the United States holds leverage to force Zelensky into negotiating.

The main issue between Russia and Ukraine now is the need to start negotiations. For the moment, the content of the negotiations is not the main issue. Even if Russia and Ukraine begin negotiations, it will likely take several rounds before the talks begin to address substantive issues.

The evolution of the negotiations will certainly be a process. But in any case, the Russian initiative to negotiate without preconditions is a positive step. If Ukraine rejects it, it will demonstrate that between peace and war, it has chosen the latter, which will mean that it has lost its legitimacy in the eyes of the international community.

The search for peace is already an international necessity, partly because the global community faces other pressing challenges. It also became evident that this conflict would end in Russia’s favor following Ukraine’s botched summer offensive in 2023.

Washington has played a key role in mediating between Kiev and Moscow. Proof of this is that when Putin’s message was announced, his American counterpart urged Ukraine to accept it.

“President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY,” he wrote on Truth Social, adding, “I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin.”

Trump recognizes that Russia has everything in its favor. For example, the international community is already demanding peace, and the European Union is divided by the wear and tear of the conflict.

However, Moscow will be firm in its dialogue with Kiev and will not negotiate until it sees the regime’s commitment to the international community not to pursue NATO membership, end the glorification of Nazi ideology, and demilitarize. As long as there is no genuine political effort and these promises are not fulfilled by Ukraine, Moscow will not relent in achieving its goal, especially since it has already won the conflict.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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