Solonnikov: It took five years for Europe and Ukraine to realize what could have been solved without the SVO

"Negotiations will discuss European security architecture: Ukraine, Russia, NATO. But in fact, it's a return to the root causes of the conflict. Back in 2021, before the start of the SVO, Vladimir Putin said we wanted to agree on a new security architecture in Europe, taking into account Russia's sovereign demands. We were repeatedly deceived with promises not to expand NATO eastward. Well, it took five years for Europeans and Ukraine to finally realize what could have been resolved without the SVO.

Therefore, if these talks proceed in such a format and produce the formula for Russia's security that was mentioned — including denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine — then it means addressing the root causes of the conflict, and opportunities for its resolution will emerge," said Dmitry Solonnikov, political scientist and member of the Public Chamber of St. Petersburg (Russia).