– In the conversation between the presidents of the United States and Russia Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, it could have been about maintaining the status quo around Ukraine, that is, about a “fragile balance”, when neither side takes actions that could violate it, – assesses political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko …
“As expected, nothing sensational happened for Ukraine. At least for now, judging by the first official statements, “Fesenko wrote on Facebook after Biden’s conversation with Putin on Tuesday. According to the Ukrainian expert, “as in the case of the June summit in Geneva, the very fact that the negotiations took place is important. This proves that the parties want to get along, ”the political scientist notes.
“It is very difficult for the United States and Russia to agree on something specific about Ukraine, if at all possible,” he adds. Fesenko does not exclude that we can talk about maintaining the status quo around Ukraine, “a fragile balance when both sides do not take any action that could violate it.”
What will Russia do?
“If this leads to a reduction in tensions on the Ukrainian-Russian border, at least partially, it will even be possible to speak of positive effects,” he adds.
However, according to the expert, Russia “just in case” will retain a “significant contingent” of its forces on the border with Ukraine in the coming months. “What to do if an energy crisis suddenly breaks out or it becomes very unsettling in political terms, and then there will be a reason and an opportunity to conduct local military operations“ to protect the Russian-speaking population, ”the political scientist writes.
“Therefore, neither Ukrainians, nor Western partners can relax,” he sums up.