During the summit in Geneva, the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, discussed the prerequisites for the resumption of negotiations within the framework of the Minsk process.

This was announced during a press briefing by a high-ranking official of the White House administration, a transcript of which was published on the website of the US State Department. 

“In addition, they talked about those areas in which we (the United States and Russia. -

RT

) have clear and significant disagreements, starting with Ukraine, and here the President (Biden. -

RT

) confirmed our commitment to its independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty.

In addition, they discussed whether there are grounds to move the Minsk process off the ground, ”said a spokesman for the US presidential administration.

On June 16, at a press conference following the summit in Switzerland, Vladimir Putin noted that his overseas counterpart agreed with the need to resolve the conflict in Donbass on the basis of Minsk-2.

“As for Ukraine, yes, this topic was touched upon.

I cannot say that it is in great detail.

But as far as I understood President Biden, he agrees that the Minsk agreements should be the basis for the settlement in southeastern Ukraine, ”Putin said.

Biden himself told reporters that he and the Russian president "agreed to continue to conduct a diplomatic dialogue regarding the Minsk agreements."

Commenting on the discussion between the two leaders on the topic "Minsk-2", the deputy head of the presidential administration Dmitry Kozak expressed cautious optimism about the negotiation process on Donbass.

“There is hope ... We said that the Minsk agreements are an uncontested basis for a political, non-military settlement of the conflict.

We must follow the Minsk agreements, primarily in the political sphere, ”RIA Novosti quoted Kozak as saying.

In turn, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov on the air of "Echo of Moscow" explained that, despite the common understanding of the importance of "Minsk-2", Biden and Putin have disagreements regarding the role of these agreements in resolving the conflict in southeastern Ukraine ...

According to him, during the talks, both leaders voiced the existing controversial points.

  • Normandy Four summit in Paris

  • Reuters

  • © Thibault Camus

Vladimir Batyuk, head of the Center for Political-Military Studies at the Institute for the United States and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, also believes that Moscow and Washington have different meanings in the nature of Minsk-2.

In particular, overseas Russia is viewed as an alleged "side of the conflict" and is accused of military support for the people's republics, although the Kremlin has repeatedly denied such allegations.

“I think that during the negotiations the parties came to a conclusion that is satisfactory for everyone: the Minsk agreements should remain the basis for the settlement.

This is undoubtedly an important signal, which is addressed primarily to Ukraine.

However, the United States and Russia still put different meanings into understanding the implementation of these agreements, "Batyuk said in a commentary on RT.

Unacceptable sequence

Meanwhile, Kiev reacted negatively to the views of the leaders of Russia and the United States on the Minsk agreements voiced at the end of the summit, although they refrained from criticizing Washington.

In a commentary to the media, the adviser to the head of the Ukrainian president's office, Mikhail Podolyak, said that the sequence of clauses of the agreements dated February 12, 2015 “plays in Russia's favor” and is extremely disadvantageous for Kiev.

He recalled that Ukraine insists on the priority "de-occupation" of certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO), which should be accompanied by the transfer of control over the border with the Russian Federation.

Only then, as Kiev demands, local elections are possible.

According to Podolyak, "Russian representatives are actively fighting against this."

“The classic text of“ Minsk ”and the sequence of points proposed there unambiguously play in favor of the Russian Federation ... First, you need to withdraw foreign troops, first you need to regain control over the territory, which means control over the border, and only then hold elections according to democratic standards,” Podolyak is quoted by the publication "STRANA.ua".

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with foreign agencies Agence France-Presse, Reuters and Associated Press that Kiev is not going to enter into dialogue with the authorities of the DPR and LPR, and also links the issue of resolving the conflict in Donbass with the situation around Crimea and Nord Stream - 2 ".

Moscow is constantly pointing out to Kiev the need for consistent implementation of the "Minsk-2".

At a press conference in Geneva, Putin once again drew attention to the inadmissibility of the Ukrainian plan to revise the agreements.

“This (Kiev's proposal -

RT

) means that the troops of Ukraine must enter Donbass, this is the first thing.

Second, they proposed to close the border between Russia and Ukraine in this part.

Third: to hold elections three months after these two steps.

You don’t need to be any lawyer, you don’t need to have a special education to understand that this has nothing to do with the Minsk agreements, ”said the President of the Russian Federation.

An RT source in Zelensky's office said that those around him were disappointed with the results of the Geneva talks.

“It is obvious that the United States will insist on the implementation of some points of the Minsk agreements, which is completely unprofitable for Kiev.

There is concern that the Biden administration will take a tough stance on this issue, ”the source said.

According to him, there is a high degree of probability that the issue of the implementation of the agreements on Donbass will be put on the agenda of the Biden-Zelensky meeting.

According to the Ukrainian side, the summit will be held at the end of July, but the exact date has not yet been determined.

  • Interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Agence France-Presse, Reuters and Associated Press

  • © Press service of the President of Ukraine

In turn, a RT source in the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers predicts that the United States and European states may soon increase pressure on official Kiev.

“The leaders of Western countries are concerned not so much with the situation in Donbass, but with the fact that Kiev can sign a document and then refuse to comply with it.

Make a promise and actually forget about it, ”the source explained.

No war, no peace

In an interview with Western media ahead of the Russian-American summit in Geneva, Zelensky said that earlier Biden had promised him never to trade Ukraine's interests, to defend them in negotiations with the Russian leader and to defend the country's sovereignty.

“In principle, I am interested in the positive from their (Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden. -

RT

) meeting.

There is a little skepticism - yes.

As for the guarantees of protecting our sovereignty, territorial integrity, we received such guarantees in words not only from the President of the United States, from the leaders of the G7 and the Alliance (NATO. -

RT

), "Zelensky said.

The statement of the Ukrainian leader about the verbal guarantees provided by the West is explained by his "naivety", believes an RT source in the Servant of the People party.

In his opinion, official Kiev refuses to acknowledge the lack of motivation among "foreign friends" to take responsibility for the security and development of Ukraine.

“The ruling circles of our country are constantly repeating that the American president should reprimand Putin at every opportunity over Ukraine.

Of course, nothing of the kind is happening, as the Geneva summit showed.

In general, the discussion of Ukraine without the participation of Ukraine itself looks like a complete failure of the foreign policy pursued in recent years, "said the interlocutor of RT.

Vladimir Batyuk adheres to a similar opinion.

According to the expert, the limited nature of military-political support for post-Maidan Ukraine was clearly manifested in the White House's statement on the Minsk agreements and in the blind spot in which they found themselves. 

“We regularly hear many words of support for Kiev from US officials, but in practice, Washington is pursuing a very selective policy, helping Ukraine only in certain areas.

I explain Washington's general support for Minsk-2, first of all, by its unwillingness to be responsible for what will happen with the final collapse of these agreements, ”says Batyuk.

According to the Ukrainian political scientist Alexander Semchenko, the United States is not interested in the full implementation of the agreements of February 12, 2015.

In an interview with RT, Semchenko said that it is beneficial for the United States to keep the conflict in Donbass in a smoldering state, which is unlikely to be possible without Minsk-2 and the sluggish negotiation process within its framework.

  • Ukrainian tank in the area of ​​the contact line in Donbass

  • Reuters

  • © Sergei Karazy

“Naturally, Washington is not interested in a real settlement of the confrontation in the southeast.

The Americans are satisfied with the situation of neither war nor peace.

This is a reason for constant claims to Russia and an additional lever of pressure on Kiev: when the Americans need it, they will remember the importance of agreements, and the rest of the time pretend that they are not there, ”Semchenko argues.

For these reasons, the expert believes, the American authorities do not support the initiative of the Ukrainian side to radically revise the Minsk agreements.  

Semchenko is sure that against such a background, the upcoming meeting between Biden and Zelensky will be a difficult test for the latter.

According to the expert, the President of Ukraine is making a mistake, recently putting forward a lot of claims and demands to the West, including the United States.

In particular, Zelensky several times expressed dissatisfaction with the slowness of the country's integration into the EU and NATO.

“Ukraine is too loudly voicing its desires: we want to join NATO, we want to join the EU, we want money, give everything and more, and without obligations.

But this does not coincide with the interests of the Americans.

Biden, like other representatives of the American establishment, proceeds from the premise that Ukraine should be under the control of Washington and therefore it cannot have its own interests, "Semchenko concluded.