Closed Doors in Florida: What the US talked to the Kremlin about without Ukraine
22 December 15:47
ANALYSIS FROM 
The closed-door talks between U.S. representatives and Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida have once again raised the question of whether an agreement between Washington and Moscow is possible without ending the war against Ukraine. There are no public details of the meeting, but signals from the Russian side and a hint of continuing negotiations in Moscow have raised concerns about possible backroom deals. Can the United States and Russia agree to cooperate without ending the war against Ukraine? Why do Moscow’s business interests remain politically toxic for Washington without ending the war? Read more in the article
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev has completed a closed round of talks with U.S. representatives in Florida on a possible peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war. As a result of the meetings, he actually hinted at their continuation in Russia.
“Thank you, Miami. Next time: Moscow,” Dmitriev wrote briefly on the social network X.
The talks were held without the participation of journalists. According to information from the Russian side, during the meetings, the thesis was repeatedly voiced about Moscow’s unwillingness to let the issue of Ukraine “interfere with business relations” between the United States and Russia.
Is there a risk that Washington and Moscow could agree on some cooperation behind closed doors without ending the war against Ukraine, in an exclusive commentary
According to him, certain agreements are possible, but without ending the war, they will have no real meaning.
“They can reach an agreement, but without ending the war, they will not be able to fully implement it. Therefore, we are talking primarily about political issues,” noted Fesenko.
The expert emphasizes that full-fledged economic or business cooperation between the US and Russia is impossible without ending the war.
“There will be no normal cooperation without the end of the war. This will cause huge criticism and rejection within the United States and create problems in relations with other countries,” Fesenko emphasized.
Fesenko also drew attention to the logic of the current American position:
“If Trump wanted economic cooperation with Russia, he would have done it long ago. But the model is different: first, the end of the war, and only then – economic cooperation as a bonus for Russia, which will be used by the Americans,” noted Volodymyr Fesenko.
In his opinion, any attempts to ignore the war for the sake of business would cause serious internal resistance in the United States.
“Without ending the war, this will cause a lot of criticism and resistance within the United States. Therefore, the end of the war is the first priority,” Fesenko emphasized.
Separately, Fesenko warned against perceiving statements by individual American politicians as the official position of the White House.
“Lindsey Graham should not be perceived as a representative of the White House – this is his personal political position. There is another extreme, Steve Witkoff, who is ready to negotiate with Putin even without ending the war. These are two opposites,” Fesenko explained.
He summarized that the current signals indicate a complex and contradictory phase of contacts between the United States and Russia, where diplomacy continues, but the key issue – the war against Ukraine – remains crucial and unresolved.
