BEIJING, August 19. /TASS/. The recent Russia-US summit in Alaska created favorable conditions for advancing negotiations on the Ukrainian issue, Qian Feng, an expert at the National Strategy Institute of Tsinghua University and a senior research fellow at the Taihe Institute, told TASS.
"Although the summit in Alaska did not reach an agreement on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, it laid a groundwork for subsequent negotiations, a possible trilateral summit, and a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," the Chinese political scientist believes. He noted that the Ukrainian issue presents "an interweaving of opportunities for negotiations and real obstacles."
Qian also said that the process of restoring strategic trust between Russia and the United States "has only just begun." According to him, Ukraine’s position on the territorial issue and the "decisive pressure" on Russia from the European Union could delay the peace dialogue, which will be accompanied by "many variables." He stressed that efforts by all sides would be required to achieve a significant breakthrough.
Resolution of the Ukrainian issue
On August 15, a Russian-American summit was held in Alaska, after which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the main topic of the talks was the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. He proposed turning the page in relations between Moscow and Washington, returning to cooperation, and also invited US leader Donald Trump to Russia. In turn, the American president confirmed that progress had been made at this meeting, but the parties were not able to reach an agreement on all items on the agenda.
