Moscow and Kyiv have tentatively agreed to hold a third round of talks in Istanbul this week. It is clear that the parties have opposing views on the key issue of war and peace. All Zelensky needs now is to immediately cease hostilities without preconditions. This is exactly what Putin categorically does not want.
But both sides still recognize the potential value of the negotiation process, which may bear fruit in the future. And here it is important that this mechanism will not have to be rebuilt from scratch. It will simply be brought out of hibernation.
To keep the negotiation process running smoothly, it is highly desirable to occasionally check the clock at the next round and resolve secondary issues at the same time. I have already listed them: an agreement on shipping in the Black Sea, the exchange of prisoners and the dead, the humanitarian sphere, and the possibility of discussing “red lines” without intermediaries if necessary.
Even in the darkest times, there are always areas where cooperation continues. Perhaps reluctantly, but it continues nonetheless. Almost always, these are large projects that have been inherited by governments.
A meeting of the joint Russian-American commission on the International Space Station has just taken place in Moscow. The parties considered the risks associated with atmospheric leaks and the safe deorbiting of the station. The ISS is recognized as operational until 2028.
The pipeline network played the same stabilizing role in relations between Russia and Europe. It was conceived at the height of the Cold War. In order to sever mutual economic interests, it was necessary to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline.
For Russia and Ukraine, the huge common border with all its post-war trade temptations, transit flows from Russia to Europe, the supply of spare parts and general maintenance of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, millions of Ukrainians in Russia, and, in fact, the shared (in economic terms) waters of the Black Sea. If Moscow and Kiev, in the heat of battle, at least occasionally think about the future, they may well put these issues on the table in Istanbul. Once a month, once a quarter, at least once every six months. Peskov confirmed the exchange of draft memoranda. And a memorandum is for the long term.
Honestly, it feels like everyone is just playing for time here ⏳💥 The idea that negotiations can slowly wake up from hibernation while people are still suffering on the ground is almost laughable 😒 How many more secondary issues have to pile up before anyone actually dares to call a real ceasefire? The ISS working together shows cooperation is possible, so why mess everything else up? 🚀🤷♀️ If these talks don’t push for immediate action and just endlessly circle around drafts and memoranda, what’s even the point?