Experts: Deal to ease Russia-Ukraine conflict difficult

Russia and Ukraine might have a chance to make a deal to ease the conflict in Ukraine, but negotiations will be difficult, experts warned.

Ukraine's position in the fourth round of talks remained unchanged as Kyiv continued to demand a cease-fire and the withdrawal of Russian troops, Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported. It will be difficult for the parties to take the talks to another level, Russian International Affairs Council Director General Andrey Kortunov said. Both sides are capable of making agreements on humanitarian corridors but claims that cloud issues emerge from both sides even when these matters are discussed.

Alexander Gushchin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Post-Soviet and Interregional Studies at the Russian State University for the Humanities, said it's difficult to talk about serious changes in Kyiv's position at the moment, particularly as Ukraine needs to save face amid the tough emotional state of society, namely its far-right nationalist members.

Ukraine's position is also a result of the influence of its US partners. Gushchin said he expects Kyiv to focus on attempts to delay a decision on recognizing the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk as well as Crimea's status, dilute the concept of demilitarization and take on as little obligation as possible in terms of neutrality, replacing the idea with talk of security guarantees.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a special military operation was launched in Ukraine after authorities of Donetsk and Lugansk requested assistance in "repelling Kyiv's military aggression", and added that Moscow would seek the "demilitarization and denazification" of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not interested in substantive negotiations, said Mikhail Barabanov, from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

The West, which believes that Russia is in trouble, thinks the only thing it needs to do is continue to support Ukraine. It's too early to say if a Russian military success will push Ukraine toward real negotiations, Barabanov said.

Even if agreements are made, there are no guarantees that Ukraine will implement them, he added.

This week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba met in Antalya, Turkey, for the first time since the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu acted as a mediator.

The talks failed to bring any meaningful progress in resolving the crisis, Vedomosti newspaper reported.

Russian newspaper Izvestia wrote that Moscow and Kyiv still have the chance to reach compromises during the talks. However, "much will depend on the Ukrainian authorities' ability to develop a common position".

Political analysts have already taken note of some diplomatic progress, but it's too early to talk about positive outcomes, Izvestia said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky's office, said video talks with Russia's delegation are ongoing. Leonid Slutsky, a member of the Russian delegation and head of the State Duma's Committee on International Affairs, also said dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv was continuing.

Deputy Chairman of the Russia's Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Andrei Klimov believes that Russia and Ukraine could reach an agreement if Kyiv is capable of making independent decisions.

"I can't help feeling that some other forces, particularly those from Washington and the United Kingdom, are also involved in the conversation," he said.

Agencies and Ren Qi in Moscow contributed to this story.