Negotiations on the war in Ukraine show nothing new, Trump is effectively acting in russia’s interests — political scientist Andrii Horodnytskyi

The latest negotiations on ending the war have not demonstrated any fundamentally new approach, and their outcome could be increased pressure on Ukraine. At the same time, statements about a possible end to the war and the prospects for trilateral negotiations involving the U.S., russia and China are an attempt to demonstrate Donald Trump’s strength to American voters. This opinion was expressed to OstroV by Andrii Horodnytskyi, a PhD and political expert.

“Unfortunately, I have neither heard nor seen anything new. The latest round of negotiations merely confirmed that Ukraine is in the right. No matter how hard they try to pressure Ukraine, they are failing because of their weakness, lack of understanding of the situation and limited outlook”, - he said.

According to the expert, Ukraine maintains a clear position on a ceasefire and does not intend to agree to conditions that do not serve its interests.

“We are ready to cease fire if russia stops striking the relevant targets. Do not expect any other options from us. If they refuse to agree, goodbye. That is our clear position”, - Horodnytskyi noted.

He also stressed that a possible halt to U.S. military aid or the transfer of intelligence data to Ukraine could have serious political consequences for the U.S. administration.

Horodnytskyi believes that Trump’s actions systematically benefit russia and harm Ukraine. In his view, this provides grounds to doubt that these are merely accidental political mistakes.

“In my opinion, the likelihood that he is effectively working in russia’s interests is very high. This is no longer just speculation or a conspiracy theory. During his time in office, we have seen many steps that help russia”, - the expert said.

He added that the systematic nature of these decisions raises questions about possible cooperation and accountability for its consequences.

Horodnytskyi also commented on the prospect of a trilateral meeting between the leaders of the U.S., russia and China, at which they could discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.

“They are going to discuss Ukraine and how to end the war. But nobody understands how they plan to do that without Ukraine”, - he noted.

According to the expert, China could potentially deal Ukraine a significant economic blow by halting supplies of components and other goods, although such a move would not be critical. However, a united front of the U.S., russia and China against Ukraine could create serious risks.

“If they all unite against Ukraine, it will resemble the Munich Agreement. In that case, Trump will look like Chamberlain. In theory, such a turn of events could have catastrophic consequences”, - Horodnytskyi believes.

At the same time, he emphasized that this scenario remains hypothetical for now. In his opinion, russia may try to use the negotiations to achieve its own goals and secure a resolution of the Ukraine issue without Ukraine’s participation.

In his view, the latest contacts between U.S. and russian representatives do not indicate that new opportunities for ending the war have emerged, while Ukraine’s position is effectively being ignored during the negotiations.

“Everything is happening in the same format as before. Nothing new. Ukraine, of course, communicates its position, but in russia nobody pays attention to it, because they have their own president in the United States”, - Horodnytskyi concluded.