For Mark Galeotti, the Donbas issue remains intractable
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on France 24
For Russian expert Mark Galeotti, Moscow adopts an uncompromising tone before making last-minute compromises, but the Donbas issue remains intractable, as Kyiv refuses to cede the territory it controls. He also says Donald Trump announces results first before diplomats try to make them happen, in an interview with France 24.
The territorial issue of the Donbas remains a major obstacle to a negotiated settlement of Russia’s war in Ukraine, says Mark Galeotti, a Russia specialist and executive director of Mayak Intelligence. He believes that neither Moscow nor Kyiv currently appears willing to cede the territories needed for a compromise, according to France 24.
Mark Galeotti nevertheless believes that the Kremlin’s maximalist rhetoric does not necessarily mean an absolute refusal to negotiate. According to him, Russia tends to display a very firm position before making possible concessions at the last minute. He also considers that the approach of Donald Trump, which favours public statements before discreet negotiations, reverses the usual course of diplomacy, reports France 24.
The specialist stresses that Vladimir Putin’s desire to gain control of the entire Donbas clashes with Ukraine’s refusal to cede the territories it still controls. Russia’s territorial demands, competing visions of European security and the evolution of US mediation therefore complicate the prospect of an agreement, according to France 24.
