Commentary: US, Russia and Ukraine keep talking past each other on peace

NO GOOD-FAITH NEGOTIATION

All of this should be fairly obvious to any mediator, and it is hard to see how the American team, led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, can be blind to these facts.

If they were hoping to apply pressure on either or both sides to make concessions, their strategy has not, for now, worked.

Even in the chaotic foreign policy process of the Trump administration, it seems clear that American pressure on Russia is unlikely to be forthcoming in a meaningful way. The Kremlin appears acutely aware of this.

Mr Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, made it very plain before the start of the trilateral discussions in Abu Dhabi on Friday that Russia’s demand for full control of the Donbas remained in place. Overnight, Russia then carried out another devastating strike against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which is already teetering on the brink of collapse.

These are not the signals of good-faith negotiations.

Putting its territorial demands under this new term “Anchorage formula” also tries to establish a fait accompli that gives the impression of a properly negotiated deal crucially agreed by Mr Trump. It flatters the dealmaker in Mr Trump, presents a potentially significant win for Mr Putin, and casts Mr Zelenskyy in the light of the unreasonable spoiler if he rejects an “agreement” he had no part in negotiating.