On December 23, the Tower Center for Public Energy held a discussion on the outcomes of recent peace talks concerning Ukraine and the role of international partners. Host Valerii Klychk and political analyst Petro Oleshchuk examined the Ukrainian delegation's meetings in Florida, with the participation of Rustem Umerov and Hnatov.
The negotiations received positive feedback from Ukraine, the US, and Russia, with several draft documents on security guarantees and frameworks for ending the war discussed. President Zelensky noted the productivity of the talks and highlighted new documents focused on Ukraine’s security.
The analyst stressed a key issue: the parallel nature of the negotiation formats — Ukraine with the US and the US with Russia. Russian statements indicate their peace conditions remain unchanged, and they continue to dictate terms. There are reasons to believe that these negotiations are largely performative and unlikely to bring a real solution.
The conversation also addressed the dual nature of Europe's position: while supporting Ukraine, the EU continues some economic ties with Russia, sparking criticism. However, the volume of such relations has decreased compared with the prewar period.
Ukraine, the analysts suggest, should act based on its own interests and focus less on Western partners’ opinions. The core task remains maintaining Ukrainian statehood and putting consistent pressure on Russia to change its stance, including economic measures targeting Russian infrastructure.
In conclusion, the speakers agreed that current talks are mostly formal, and for the war to end, Ukraine should enhance its independent strategy rather than relying solely on external support.
