Trump negotiates with Putin and Zelenski on “territories” and “nuclear centrals” in Ukraine

The president of the United States promised to campaign the war of Ukraine “in 24 hours.” Although the reality of the conflict has spoiled those hyperbolic plans, the New York billionaire maintains great optimism about war resolution.

Last weekend, at the prelude to the beginning of negotiations with Russia and Ukraine in Riad, he said that the long -awaited fire “will arrive very soon.” Its objective, as Bloomberg has revealed, is to achieve a peace agreement on a date loaded with symbolism, something common in a Trump that is distressed by the image: it wants it to close on April 20, in a year in which Easter coincides on the same day both for Western Christians and for the orthodox.

The White House made it clear that this date may suffer changes, something evident to the difficulties both in the negotiating table and in the front. In Saudi Arabia, the objectives are much more modest than that peace agreement dreamed by Trump and for which both the governments of Putin and Zelenski seem very distanced.

First, it seeks to close and specify the high fire to critical infrastructures and energy facilities. It is something that both Zelenski and Putin agreed last week, but that remains to be detail. The Russian position points to focus on energy infrastructurewhile Ukrainians seek to expand it to leave facilities out of attacks such as port and rail infrastructures.

Grain agreement

The next point of the negotiations is to get a high naval fire in the Black Sea, which protects the navigation of ships. This would open the door to the next point: Recover the Ukraine Cereal Export Agreement -Considerate the great European barn- that the UN obtained in 2022 and that Russia suspended for Western sanctions against its economy.

With this achieved, the total fire of 30 days would be sought, the great objective of these conversations in Saudi Arabia, and that would be the advance of the peace agreement that Trump is looking for.

Negotiations are articulating two bands. USA unilaterally speaks with Ukraine and Russia and then tries to reconcile their differences. It was explained by Trump’s envoy for negotiations on Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, who explained that the format is «indirect negotiations“In which” both parties come, but they are in different rooms “and the Americans come and go from one to another listening to what each one wants and how to get to an understanding. “It is like a diplomacy ‘Shuttle’ (in reference to when a negotiator travels to different countries to reconcile positions), but between rooms in riad.”

The conversations started Sunday with Ukraine and yesterday lasted for almost twelve hours with Russia. It is expected that Americans and Russians today submit a joint statement on their advances. They are difficult negotiations because the background positions of Russia and Ukraine are very remote In the two main points: the territorial integrity of Ukraine – with 20% of the country occupied by Russia – and an eventual adhesion to NATO.

Zelenski has assured that the conversations are being “productive” and Grigori Karasin, which leads the Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia, has said that they are “creative” and go “to full performance.” But Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov has already warned that conversations will be “difficult” and could last a long time. “There is still a lot of work to do at the technical level,” said Pisskov yesterday in his usual appearance before the press.

Zelenski has insisted for weeks that Putin uses dilatory tactics to get advances in the front and improve his hand in negotiations. While the negotiators spoke in Riyad, a Russian attack in Sumi, in the northeast of Ukraine, left more than seventy injuries, including several children. Russia also accused Ukraine of attacking oil infrastructures in its territory.

Back in Washington, Trump said that the US has an “almost complete” agreement with Zelenski on access to rare minerals and that “very soon” will be announced, something that could grease negotiations. The differences on that agreement was what precipitated the anger between Trump and Zelenski three weeks ago.