A whirlwind week of high-stakes diplomacy has seen a frantic push to negotiate a potential ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, with multiple peace proposals and international summits unfolding at a staggering pace.
A Flurry of Evolving Peace Plans
The diplomatic activity intensified last Wednesday when a 28-point plan was pushed by former US President Donald Trump as a proposed solution to end the devastating conflict. The war, now in its fourth year, has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
By the weekend, this initial proposal had been transformed into a slimmed-down 19-point version. Observers noted that this redrafted plan appeared to be less skewed towards Russia's interests than its predecessor.
The Diplomatic Pace Quickens
The momentum continued into the new week. By Tuesday, officials from the US, Russia, and Ukraine had gathered at a summit in Abu Dhabi to hammer out a third version of a potential agreement.
Pjotr Sauer, The Guardian's Russian affairs reporter, described the rapid sequence of events. "The pace has been staggering," he stated. "We've seen Ukrainian and American officials meet in Geneva, we've seen Europeans gather and come together with their own peace plan, and now we're seeing Russian and Ukrainian and Americans officials flying to Abu Dhabi. All in the space of a week."
Further fuelling the diplomatic fire, Sauer confirmed that "there are rumours that Zelenskyy will fly to Washington to meet Trump himself." He also suggested it is "likely that US officials will also fly to Moscow to meet Putin in the Kremlin."
Will Russia Be Persuaded?
In a significant development, Ukraine has now indicated it broadly accepts the current peace plan, provided certain unspecified details can be resolved. This marks a potential opening for progress.
However, the critical question remains whether Russia will be equally receptive to the terms being discussed. The outcome of these intense, multi-directional talks will determine if the flurry of diplomacy can finally bring a lasting end to the conflict.
