Russia and Ukraine reach an understanding on the establishment of humanitarian channels in the second round of negotiations
The second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine ended on the 3rd in the Belovezh Forest in Belarus. The two sides reached an understanding on the establishment of humanitarian access and agreed to hold the third round of negotiations as soon as possible. Compared with the first round of negotiations a few days ago, Russia and Ukraine have focused on the humanitarian issues caused by the military conflict in this round of negotiations, and achieved more substantial results. However, as the two sides have not reached an effective consensus on resolving the conflict itself, and there are huge differences on many important issues, the prospects for future negotiations remain unclear.
Some progress has been made
Negotiations lasted about three hours. After the negotiation, the Ukrainian delegation walked out of the venue first. According to Podoljak, adviser to the Uzbek Presidential Office, the two sides reached a consensus on the joint guarantee of humanitarian access, the evacuation of civilians, and the delivery of medicine and food, and agreed to implement “potential “potential” measures at the place where humanitarian access is established and when evacuation work begins”ceasefire”.
But Podoljak’s overall assessment of the talks was more negative. “Unfortunately, we have not achieved the results we expected,” he said. “The only thing that can be mentioned is that the two sides have had more detailed discussions on the humanitarian field. In addition, the two sides will hold a third round of negotiations in the near future.”
In contrast, the head of the Russian delegation and presidential assistant Mekinsky made a more positive statement after the negotiation. According to him, Russia and Ukraine discussed three issues in detail, namely military issues, international humanitarian issues and future political settlement of conflicts. He confirmed that the two sides had reached agreement on the establishment of humanitarian access and a potential temporary ceasefire, calling it “substantial progress”.
Russian negotiator Slutsky, chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the State Duma (lower house of parliament), said that the third round of negotiations with Ukraine will be held in the next few days. He also said that the possibility that the Russian-Ukrainian delegation will need to hold several more rounds of negotiations cannot be ruled out.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov said in his evaluation of the current round of negotiations on the evening of the 3rd that it is very important for the two sides to reach an understanding on humanitarian issues under the current severe situation.
As Russia and Ukraine failed to make substantial progress in the first round of negotiations due to huge differences, there was a huge question mark on whether the two sides could reach an understanding on principled issues in the second round of negotiations. Public opinion believes that Russia and Ukraine have reached an agreement on some issues in this round of negotiations and both agreed to start the next round of negotiations as soon as possible, which shows that there is still hope to seek a solution to the Ukrainian issue through dialogue and consultation.
Unpredictable future situation
Although this round of negotiations has reached an understanding on the establishment of humanitarian access, no effective consensus has been reached on resolving the conflict itself. Before this round of talks, the two sides had signaled that they would not make concessions on key issues.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba said on the 3rd that Ukraine will negotiate for a ceasefire and the establishment of humanitarian channels, but will not compromise on the issue of territorial integrity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron on the 3rd, explaining the principled position and conditions of Russia’s negotiations with Ukraine. According to a statement issued on the Kremlin’s website that day, Putin said that Russia believes that the “demilitarization” of Ukraine and its neutrality should be discussed first to ensure that no threats against Russia appear in Ukraine. The statement emphasized that the Russian side will complete the special military operation task in any case, and trying to delay the negotiations will only lead to the Russian side adding additional requirements in the negotiations.
Russian military expert Vladimir Bogatlev pointed out that Russia has proposed from the beginning that it is necessary to establish a long-term and reliable security mechanism in Europe in view of NATO’s expansion and approaching the Russian border. Russia’s position on this issue remains constant.
In addition, Naryshkin, director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, said on the 3rd that Ukraine’s neutrality is extremely important to Russia, because the country is Russia’s last barrier against Western attacks. The U.S. and NATO know this and hold on to Ukraine. The Russian side judged based on the available information that the U.S. and Ukrainian governments plan to prolong the conflict as much as possible and turn it into a high-intensity positional battle.
By Astrid Zhang Lehan
