ArmInfo.Our compatriot, Ukrainian political commentator Marat Hakobyan kindly agreed to answer ArmInfo's questions.
- How do you assess the first round of negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia, and what are your expectations for the near future? Will the parties at least reach an agreement on a cessation of hostilities?
- I am skeptical about the effectiveness of the meetings/negotiations. Obviously, at this stage, the positions of the parties are poles apart. Despite the military failure, Moscow is not yet ready to accept the new reality, while Kyiv, after repulsing the attacks, feels more confident and demands an unconditional withdrawal of troops from the territory of Ukraine. Most likely, we are waiting for repeated attempts by the Russian Federation to achieve at least something significant to strengthen its position in the negotiations, which allows Ukraine to develop a military advantage, especially against the backdrop of the sanctions shock, in which the Russian Federation is now. The sooner the Kremlin realizes the gravity of the situation both on the battlefield and in the international arena, the more chances the Kremlin has to save face. It will be increasingly difficult to find a solution that is somehow acceptable to Moscow, which makes it even more unpredictable. The situation is developing rapidly, perhaps while they get used to the situation for today, tomorrow there will be a new reality, even more beneficial to Kyiv.
- Under what conditions would the so-called neutral status be an acceptable solution to end the war in Ukraine?
- The course towards joining the EU and NATO is already constitutional. This is just a reaction to the fact that the neutral status was used by one of the guarantors under the Budapest Memorandum, the Russian Federation, to occupy a number of Ukrainian territories. That is why additional political measures were taken to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine - a declaration of a course towards joining the EU and NATO, enshrined in the Basic Law of the country. Ukraine is also developing small alliances with NATO countries as an additional element of strengthening defense. There are such alliances with Poland, Great Britain, Turkey, Lithuania and other European countries.