Can they start?
They can, of course.
There is always a point in talking.
But here the positions on which the parties to the dialogue are located are important.
And the goals of the parties.
As a rule, each side does everything to make its pre-negotiation positions more advantageous than those of the opponent.
The simplest analysis of the situation: if both sides say that they are not ready for negotiations, it means that they consider their current positions not favorable enough or they are waiting for the positions of the other side to worsen.
In short, how are things now?
Ukraine - the situation is bad:
— loss of territories and water areas;
- lack of opportunities to independently replenish the budget (business and the economy are in decline, only western tranches);
- daily increase in combat losses;
— daily surrender of positions and capture of dozens of Ukrainian soldiers;
- a sharp decline in the conditions of logistics and transport communications, energy systems;
- the status of a begging country, low international prestige;
- declining combat potential and power capabilities.
Russia is on the rise:
- growth of strategic territories, primarily coastal ones - Azov and the Black Sea, the emergence of new, resource-rich water areas;
- increasing transport capabilities on land and on water, including those related to Crimea;
- maintaining trade in gas and oil in the European direction and a multiple increase in trade relations with the East with an increase in investments in the state budget;
- daily increase in combat capabilities at the expense of their own budget (mobilization and increase in combat units, partial turn of the economy towards the provision of air defense with a continuous increase in the quality of support for units);
— daily successful offensives, liberation of new territories and cities;
- the growth of the international prestige of Russia as a country that is still capable of fighting alone against NATO and the "world policeman" - the United States.
So who is in what pre-negotiation position?
We are only waiting for our further strengthening, Ukraine can only rely on the West, which absolutely does not need its negotiations with Russia at all.
Conclusion: we have nothing to talk about yet, Ukraine has nothing to talk about.
Negotiations cannot be expected.
In addition to the surrender of Kyiv.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.