Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) — Although both Russia and the United States have expressed hope for easing tensions through dialogue and developing a roadmap for settling the Russia-Ukraine military conflict, the complexity of the crisis and the intertwining interests of various parties make it impossible to resolve the issue overnight, Li Yonghui, head of the Department of Multilateral and Regional Cooperation at the Institute of Russia, East Europe and Central Asia under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Saturday.
In her opinion, the main factors complicating a quick resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict are the territorial issue and security architecture. “Russia defends territorial sovereignty over Crimea and four regions in eastern Ukraine, while Ukraine insists on the state borders of 1991,” the expert said, noting that Kyiv finds it difficult to make concessions even in terms of recognizing Russia’s de facto control over parts of four eastern regions of Ukraine.
The Russian Federation emphasizes that in order to cease fire and negotiate, it is necessary to resolve the root causes of the conflict. “Russia fears that an unconditional ceasefire will give Ukraine time to redeploy troops and weapons. Therefore, in the absence of strategic trust between Russia, the United States and Europe, it is difficult for Russia and Ukraine to cease fire,” Li Yonghui noted.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15. The Ukrainian issue was one of the important topics of the meeting, but Ukraine and Europe were not invited.
According to Li Yonghui, if we talk about Europe, European countries and Ukraine also played an important role in this meeting. “On the eve of the meeting, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held an emergency video conference, emphasizing that Ukrainian lands are not a subject of bargaining, and opposed the United States reaching an agreement with Russia bypassing Ukraine. Such unity of positions demonstrates the unity of Europe on the Ukrainian issue and puts pressure on US diplomatic actions,” she said.
According to the expert, the meeting of the heads of the Russian Federation and the United States has once again pushed Europe to the periphery. In terms of settling the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the actions of Moscow and Washington have had a multifaceted impact on the EU's foreign and security policy, and have also demonstrated the challenges facing the European security structure. "The EU must accelerate steps towards strategic autonomy and seek a new balance between the United States and Russia. Only by settling Russia's position in the European security architecture can we guarantee Europe's important status in the security structure," she added.
Li Yonghui believes that the meeting between Putin and Trump will not have a turning point in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, but will help advance peace talks, gradually gaining trust or bargaining on some issues. “Russia and Ukraine still hope to win more trump cards on the battlefield. As for Russian-American relations, thanks to this meeting, some progress will be made in restoring diplomatic relations and economic cooperation, especially in the fields of energy, aviation and key minerals. From the perspective of US-European relations, this will further stimulate Europe’s strategic autonomy,” the expert said.
In her opinion, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is one of the main structural contradictions in Russian-American relations. “If the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not resolved, it will hold back the development of Russian-American relations,” the agency’s interlocutor said.
Li Yonghui noted that the channels of communication between Russia and the United States have not been severed. After the meeting between D. Trump and V. Putin, the two countries can take the first steps on important issues, such as restoring diplomatic relations and reviving energy cooperation. “However, if the structural contradictions between Russia and the United States persist, warming relations will still be difficult, and detente will be difficult,” she emphasized. –0–
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