The peace talks between Russia and Ukraine fell apart as soon as they began, and the Russian representative immediately made a tough statement: the next negotiation will not be about four states but eight states, and Ukraine can fight for as long as it wants.

The negotiations held in Turkey did not go smoothly. As soon as they started, the talks were declared to have failed. The Russian representative first put forward his own conditions, mainly in three major aspects. First, Ukraine must withdraw troops from the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, completely giving up control. Second, Ukraine's military strength will be significantly reduced, meaning de-militarization, limiting the number of troops to 85,000, stopping the purchase of Western weapons, halting military expansion and construction.

Third, the West should fully lift all sanctions on Russia in energy, finance, grain, and other fields, restoring Russia's normal status in the international community. The conditions proposed by Russia were originally intended to negotiate with Ukraine, but after hearing the Russian terms, Ukraine was very angry and directly announced that there was no way to negotiate. Ukraine believed that the negotiation had lost its meaning and would not negotiate based on the conditions proposed by Russia.

As the negotiations broke down, the Russian representative was also very angry and slammed the table, making a tough statement saying, "If you do not withdraw from the four regions this time, next time it will not be four but eight." Kharkiv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, and Odesa will also become part of Russia's negotiation conditions. The Russian representative also made a tough statement saying that the conflict could last for one year, three years, or even five years, and Ukraine can fight for as long as it wants. Clearly, Russia appeared very tough. What cannot be obtained on the battlefield is also difficult to obtain at the negotiation table. Ukraine's continuous failures on the battlefield also make it difficult to gain an advantage at the negotiation table.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832337049009164/

Disclaimer: The article only represents the author's personal views.