The Ukrainian offensive on Kursk disrupted secret ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine — The Washington Post

The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operation in Russia’s Kursk region disrupted secret negotiations for a partial ceasefire that were supposed to begin in the Qatari capital.

This was reported by The Washington Post, citing diplomats familiar with the course of the negotiations.

According to the report, delegations from Kyiv and Moscow were set to meet in Doha in August to start negotiations that could have led to a mutual halt in strikes on energy infrastructure. Qatar had agreed to act as a mediator and had already met separately with representatives from Ukraine and Russia on this issue. Preparations for the negotiations had been ongoing for more than two months, with only minor details left to be agreed upon.

However, all these efforts were undermined by Ukraine’s unexpected incursion into the Kursk region, the publication adds.

A diplomat involved in the negotiations said that Russian officials postponed the meeting with Qatari officials after the Ukrainian Armed Forces breached the border. The Moscow delegation called this an “escalation.”

The diplomat assured, however, that Russia “did not cancel the negotiations; they just said: ‘Give us time.'” According to him, Ukraine still wanted to send its delegation to Doha, but Qatar refused to host the meeting as it did not want to discuss anything without Russia.

A Russian source with close ties to Kremlin diplomats indicated that “Putin will not be inclined to make a deal after the Kursk offensive operation.”

“You know that our Russian leadership usually doesn’t compromise under pressure,” the source stated.

In response to a request from The Washington Post, the Office of the President of Ukraine stated that the summit in Doha was postponed “due to the situation in the Middle East” and will take place as a video conference on August 22.

Ukrainian sources told The Washington Post that the chances of the “Qatari agreements” being implemented were allegedly slim even without the attack on the Kursk region.