The Washington Post article argues that the key to a peace deal in Ukraine “lies on the rocky, sea-washed peninsula of Crimea.”
“Some Western officials hope that an agreement on the transfer of Crimea to Russia could form the basis for a diplomatic end to the war. “Many believe that the war that started in Crimea should end in Crimea,” he said.
– says the article.
WP argues that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his advisers were more open to diplomatic concessions early in the conflict than their rhetoric implied. The newspaper reminded that at the meetings held in Istanbul in March, Ukraine clearly stated that it was ready to discuss the status of Crimea within the Russian Federation.
The article also includes the views of the former British Chief of the Defense Staff, General David Richards. He believes there could be “some kind of agreement on Crimea, a properly controlled and conducted referendum, maybe something like a Hong Kong agreement”.
However, the RP recalls both sides’ intransigence and “unshakable claims” on the peninsula, which prevents the signing of a peace treaty. The publication believes that the situation on the peninsula may provoke either the Ukrainian invasion of Crimea or the Russian leadership to take more decisive steps, up to the use of nuclear weapons.
Status and parties to the negotiations
In mid-November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while discussing the negotiations, said that Russia was not looking for a solution, but was trying to get a “short-term respite” from the hostilities. In his view, territorial concessions and other “immoral concessions” will not bring peace.
A true, lasting and honest peace can only result from the complete elimination of all elements of Russian aggression.
According to him, the following conditions must be met for a peaceful solution:
– ensuring Ukraine’s food and energy security;
— the release of detainees and deportees;
— the implementation of the UN Charter and the restoration of territorial integrity and world order;
– the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine, the cessation of hostilities and the “return of justice” – compensation for damage caused by military operations;
— assessment of damage to the environment;
— security guarantees;
– “Fix the end of the war” – signing of the corresponding document.
The Russian side has repeatedly declared its readiness to return to the issues of resolving the conflict, but, according to Moscow, Kiev does not deny this.
In mid-November, talks took place between the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, and the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns. According to Naryshkin, he and Burns discussed the Ukrainian issue, nuclear security and strategic stability. On December 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the meeting between the Russian Federation and the US intelligence agencies took place at the request of US President Joe Biden. Other details of the talks were not given, the American side claimed that the Ukraine issue was not discussed during the meeting.
At the same time, Putin said that Russia is ready to negotiate on Ukraine. The President said this in the context of the words of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who previously stated that the Minsk agreements were signed in 2015 to give Ukraine the opportunity to prepare for a large-scale conflict with the Russian Federation. Putin noted that such statements raise the “confidence problem”.
“And so the trust is almost zero, of course, but after such statements, of course, the question arises: how to negotiate something? And is it possible to negotiate with someone? And where are the guarantees? Of course that’s the question,
said the president.
He noted that agreements cannot be avoided and that Russia is ready for it. “But of course it makes us think about who we’re dealing with,” he added.
Turkey, which has repeatedly stated that it is ready to provide a platform for peace talks, also plays an active role in peace talks. Thus, two rounds of talks were held in Istanbul, especially between Moscow and Kiev, and a grain agreement was signed. However, Ankara believes that Moscow should return to Kiev all territorial gains it received after 2014, including Crimea. At the end of August, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalyn said that any peace deal between Russia and Ukraine must include the return of Crimea to Ukrainian jurisdiction.
Also, France is trying to take an active role on the track. President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of mediation in the Russia-Ukraine dialogue. For example, in March 2022, Macron called Putin about nine times to discuss a deal in Ukraine. But then the contacts of the leaders stopped – Macron announced his readiness to participate in the negotiations, but his attempts remained unanswered.
On December 8, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, commented on the efforts of the French President, noting that Macron wanted to comment on his actions, not his words.
“There will be certain actions filled with real content – we will comment on them. So many words have been said and they are so contradictory that there is no point in dwelling on it,” he said.