Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Svetlana Zhurova sees in the current diplomatic activity a signal of possible progress on the issue of settling the conflict in Ukraine. She shared her opinion in a conversation with Lenta.ru.
Earlier, Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov announced a trilateral meeting of delegations from Russia, the United States, and Ukraine. It is to take place in Abu Dhabi in early November. According to the president’s press secretary, Vladimir Putin has already defined the topic of the discussion: it will concern security guarantees for all parties after the achievement of peace.
Zhurova noted a sharp increase in the intensity of contacts. “Already now the activity has become very serious, especially after the last visit of [American special envoy Steve] Witkoff, and [U.S. President Donald] Trump is optimistically inclined,” the Lenta.ru interlocutor stated.
The parliamentarian also drew attention to domestic political risks in the United States. She emphasized that the fate of the negotiations may depend on the results of the congressional elections. If the Republicans lose their majority, the Democrats, who have historically actively supported Kyiv, may gain levers of pressure on Trump and continue financial assistance to Ukraine.
In the conversation with the publication, Zhurova called a peaceful settlement the main goal, but pointed to the primacy of ensuring security after the signing of documents. “If there are no these guarantees, then what? What comes first — the chicken or the egg? An eternal question. Here it is the same. First of all, security guarantees. We must understand what will happen. There is the issue of joining NATO and many other points, and only then, of course, the issue of signing a peace agreement. That is clear. That is how it should be,” she summarized.
