The analyst called the direct talks proposed by Putin to Kiev a brilliant maneuver.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to Kiev to hold direct talks in Istanbul on May 15 is a brilliant maneuver and removes the issue of a 30-day truce from the agenda. Scott Ritter, a former American intelligence officer and analyst, told Izvestia on May 11.
"The proposal for direct negotiations removes the issue of a 30-day truce from the agenda. In my opinion, this is a brilliant maneuver by Vladimir Putin. He returns the initiative to Russia, allowing it to dictate terms to the Ukrainian-European-American bloc, which is not ready and capable of such a step," Ritter stressed.
In his opinion, almost all countries agree with Russia on the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict in order to fully resolve it. In addition, the analyst noted that the proposals of Ukraine, the United States and Europe are not aimed at solving this issue.
"Russia is acting, and the United States, Europe and Ukraine are forced to react. Moreover, they are not in an advantageous, but in an extremely vulnerable position, because they do not want real peace," the expert said.
He added that the task of Ukraine's allied countries is not to establish peace, but to gain time in order to continue military operations. Ritter also drew attention to the fact that at this stage, the administration of US President Donald Trump, despite all the rhetoric, continues to supply Kiev with weapons as part of long-term programs.
Putin announced at a press conference on May 11 that Russia was offering Ukraine to resume direct talks in Istanbul on May 15. At the same time, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that the Kremlin would announce who would participate in the Istanbul talks.
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Earl Rasmussen, a political scientist, stressed that Putin had taken a very strong, open and constructive step by inviting Kiev to resume direct talks on May 15 during a meeting in Istanbul.
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