“Appeals suggesting that Ukraine is unable to properly hold the frontline, and therefore negotiations are the optimal choice, are unfounded—especially since Western countries that provided weak and untimely support bear significant responsibility for battlefield failures. The decision today should not be about forcing a weakened Ukraine to the negotiating table, but about urgently strengthening it.”

Sergiy Solodkyy, First Deputy Director of the New Europe Center, explains in his analytical commentary “Pushing Towards Hidden Capitulation: What Early Negotiations with Russia Could Lead To”:

• Why untimely, measured support from international partners has weakened Ukraine’s position;

• How Russia’s imitation diplomacy operates;

• The main reasons why Russia is neither interested nor prepared to start genuine negotiations;

• The undesirable consequences that peace talks could bring if held in the near future;

• Which initiatives by international partners, according to the New Europe Center, could help compel Russia to engage in real, not simulated, negotiations (detailed infographic available here).

The full analysis is available on the New Europe Center website.

The media version was kindly published by European Pravda and can be read at the provided link.