Negotiations with Russia?

Expert criticizes "complete ignorance of the situation"

Created: 01/11/2023 15:36

By: Nail Akkoyun

In Germany, there are frequent calls for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

An expert attests to these people's ignorance and ignorance.

Berlin/Moscow/Kyiv – Next month marks the first anniversary of the Ukraine war.

Direct negotiations between the two warring parties currently seem unimaginable.

Russia and Ukraine last spoke to each other on May 17, 2022.

Today, Kyiv is demanding the withdrawal of all Russian troops, while Moscow is insisting on the four annexed oblasts of Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Luhansk and Kherson - and Crimea.

In Germany, there have been repeated calls for more diplomacy in recent months, both from politics and in the form of opinion articles and open letters.

Appeals that have been repeatedly criticized, for example by the Eastern Europe historian Karl Schlögel.

“They have never dealt with Eastern Europe, but they take it upon themselves to give advice to Ukrainians.

It has something of a senior teacher and arrogance," said Schlögel in an interview with the

.

Forcing the Ukrainian people to negotiate, and thus indirectly to give up, would ultimately – despite the many Russian losses – be a victory for Russia.

Recently announced deliveries of arms and tanks from the United States and Germany show that the West does not want to allow this to happen.

A peace demonstration in Frankfurt against arms deliveries and for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

The photo was taken on September 1, 2022. © Michael Schick/Imago

Ukraine war: Expert sees “no basis for peace negotiations”

In any case, the question arises as to whether a war would actually be over if Ukraine gave way.

Because by now it should be clear to everyone that four more territories would not be enough for Vladimir Putin's Russia.

After all, Ukrainians are “not their own people” for the president, as he clarified in a specially written essay.

It would be naïve to think that the Kremlin would stick with partial annexation in the long term.

The propagandistic statements from Russia, coupled with all the destruction of life, art and culture, rather suggest that the neighboring country wants to be completely "wiped out" and incorporated.

A view shared by Karl Schlögel: "The call for negotiations has something to do with complete ignorance of the situation," said the expert.

It is problematic that Crimea - which was annexed by Russia in 2014 - is now considered Russian territory.

Anyone who sees the Black Sea Peninsula as Russian “is once again legitimizing the breach of international law”.

The supposedly de-escalating argument plays into Putin's hands.

"We can't let the person who unleashed the war define what is right," said Schlögel.

"Every day that rockets fall on cities and crimes are committed is proof that there is no basis at all for peace negotiations at the moment," the expert continued.

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The end of the Ukraine war is probably still a long way off: the people are behind Kyiv

No one wants the Russian troops to withdraw and the war to end more than the Ukrainian people.

But a country that has not only lost residential buildings, schools, hospitals and symbolic culture in the conflict, but also around 100,000 people according to US estimates, will not budge after all the suffering it has experienced.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to continue the fight against the Russian invaders - and only enter into direct negotiations with Moscow if Vladimir Putin and his allies are held accountable for their war crimes and their troops are withdrawn from all of Ukraine.

It is not yet possible to say which conditions will actually lead to a joint discussion in the end, and above all when.

The fact is, however, that the Ukrainians will stand behind their government until then.

(nak)