Russia is demonstrating notable restraint in the face of constant attempts to undermine peace talks, Fyodor Lukyanov has said, commenting on the latest developments around negotiations to settle the Ukraine conflict.
Speaking to RT on the sidelines of the Valdai International Discussion Club on Monday, the research director suggested that attacks – such as an assassination attempt on a senior military intelligence general in Moscow last week – often coincide suspiciously with moments when progress in negotiations is expected.
“It’s quite interesting to follow that somebody tries to make demonstrative terror attacks exactly at the point when something is expected,” Lukyanov said. “Whether it is a consolidated decision on the side of the Ukrainian leadership or whether the leadership there is more or less split and there are different factions, I don’t know. But, of course, we see that at least somebody on that side is not interested in a successful end of talks.”
Lukyanov, who is also editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs and chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, outlined what he described as two parallel tracks in the current negotiation process.
One involves technical discussions, such as those held during recent talks in Abu Dhabi, focusing on what can and should be done once a political settlement is reached. According to Lukyanov, this track may prove relatively successful because negotiators on both sides understand the process.
However, the more decisive political track remains uncertain. He pointed to contacts involving Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev and figures close to US President Donald Trump as an example of efforts aimed at achieving a broader political settlement.
“Sometimes we hear positive statements, sometimes more skeptical ones… The main positive development is that we still see this process going,” Lukyanov stressed, noting that media leaks about the talks may be misleading or inaccurate.
Commenting on Moscow’s response to provocations, Lukyanov said Russia has so far exercised significant restraint.
“As far as the Russian reaction is concerned, I think that Russia demonstrates a very, very high degree of patience,” he said. This, he explained, stems from Moscow’s desire to achieve a stable, long-term settlement despite attempts to sabotage the process.