Editor’s Note: Kremlin aide Vladislav Surkov said that fresh ideas of resolving the Ukraine crisis had emerged during his first meeting with U.S. special representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker on Monday, the Interfax news agency reported. “The meeting was useful and constructive,” the agency cited Surkov as telling reporters after the meeting held in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. “The two sides proposed fresh ideas and novel approaches for their implementation,” Interfax quoted him as saying, without elaborating. “We agreed that the peace process on the political track, as well as in the sphere of security, can and should go faster.”
Expectations were pretty low from this one – especially given the generally near-frozen relationship between the US and Russia these days.
But I also would not read too much into Vladyslav Surkov’s comments that both sides brought fresh ideas and innovative approaches to the Minsk implementation. Most people would argue that Minsk is flawed at its core given the widely different interpretations of the difference between decentralization (Ukrainian view) and federalism (Moscow’s view).
Guess, Moscow is just happy to see direct talks between the U.S .and Russia, circumventing Minsk, where the U.S. was not a participating party anyway. In Moscow’s view, the U.S. and Russia just need to sit down and sort (divide up) the world’s problems as great powers do/did in the good old days. And I guess this format would be viewed in Moscow as a new step in that direction.
Interesting week looming with the August 24th Independence Day celebration in Kyiv, including the usual parade – and Defense Secretary James Mattis, and various other U.S. cabinet members are due in Ukraine over the next week. In the past this has been an excuse for the authorities in Kyiv to show off new military kit, but in the past Moscow has sought to rain on the party via various re-escalations in the east. This time around a couple of hundred soldiers from various “supportive” NATO member states will also be marching down Khreshchatyk Street to show their solidarity with Ukraine. Let’s see whether Moscow is willing to let this all pass this time around.
