Fears peace talks are just Putin’s sham diplomacy

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While top Ukrainian officials were sent to the meeting in Belarus, Russia’s president dispatched only a lowly culture advisor – seen by some as a dismissive gesture. Discussions broke up without any agreement after a few hours yesterday and will reconvene later in the week.

Ukraine wants a ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Russian forces.

It has begged Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to try and broker a deal – and he was reported to be at the talks.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted he was not confident of a positive outcome but he owed it to his people to try.

He had wanted the negotiations to be held in Warsaw or Istanbul rather than Russia’s ally Belarus – a country used as a base for the invasion and which is now poised to join the war. Ominously, as the talks started at noon yesterday, a convoy of Belarusian tanks and troop carriers began massing at the Ukrainian border.

There are fears Russia will make a series of outrageous demands that can only be rebuffed – signalling the start of a heavy bombardment of Ukraine.

Some suspect Moscow is indulging in sham diplomacy to appear more reasonable and slow sanctions threatening to cripple Russia’s economy.

Writing on Twitter, veteran US diplomat Richard Haass warned the Kremlin was likely to turn to “more destructive munitions” if peace talks collapse, using their failure as a pretext.

Any increase in military action would pile pressure on Western allies to intervene.

One senior Kyiv MP called for thousands more weapons, a no-fly zone and stricter sanctions.

She said: “I have heard the argument that if we impose strong, stricter sanctions, there would be no way for a diplomatic solution.

“But I’m now living in a city which has been bombed by Russia every single night. This is not about diplomacy anymore. We are at war.”

“A full-scale embargo is the only way to ensure that the Western countries are not supporting this dictator who is killing Ukrainians.”

Ms Sovsun said Ukraine’s troops were “fighting like hell” on the ground but their efforts would be made much easier without Russia’s airstrikes.

She added: “We are kind of getting into this whole routine… you hear an air raid strike, and you go down (into the basement) and that’s it.

“We do know that the Brits so far are not that excited about the whole idea (of a no-fly zone)… we do understand all the implications into that situation.

“But I guess by this time, everybody just understands that Putin is not just a threat to Ukraine, he is actually a threat to the whole world. If he is not stopped here in Ukraine, who will be next?”

Yesterday’s talks, held in the Belarusian city of Gomel, finished late in the afternoon and both delegations returned to their respective capitals for further consultations.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said: “The Russian side, unfortunately, still has a very biased view of the destructive processes it has launched.”

One influential name at the discussions was reported to be Chelsea FC’s owner Mr Abramovich, pictured left. The 55-year-old Russian billionaire has faced pressure over his links to Mr Putin and at the weekend announced he was stepping back from running the club.

His spokesman said: “I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to help ever since.” His involvement was confirmed by Ukrainian film director Alexander Rodnyansky who said the tycoon, now based in Israel, was the only person to respond to calls for help.

Mr Rodnyansky said: “I can confirm that the Ukrainian side has been trying to find someone in Russia willing to help them in finding a peaceful resolution.”

“They are connected to Roman Abramovich through the Jewish community and reached out to him for help.”

“Roman Abramovich has been trying to mobilize support for a peaceful resolution ever since.”

Meanwhile yesterday, President Putin spoke in length with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and pledged to consider ending his brutal bombing campaign on

Ukrainian civilians. He also vowed to keep the road south of Kiyv open.

But at the United Nations in New York, Ukraine’s ambassador to UN compared Mr Putin to Adolf Hitler – and suggested he should shoot himself in his “bunker” like the Nazi monster in the Second World War.

Sergiy Kyslytsya said the Kremlin’s “spiritual mentors” were “from the Third Reich.”

He told delegates: “This war wasn’t provoked, it was chosen by someone who is right now sitting in a bunker. We know what happened with the person who sat in a bunker in Berlin in May 1945.”

He hit out at Putin’s decision to increase the alert level for his nuclear weapons and added: “If he wants to kill himself he doesn’t need to use a nuclear arsenal, he has to do what the guy in the bunker in Berlin did in May 1945.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres branded Russia’s invasion was “totally unacceptable” and added: “Enough is enough.”

“Soldiers need to move back to their barracks and leaders need to move to peace,” he said.

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