Why Ukrainian peace talks fail Russian and Ukrainian war

This month’s peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have once again been unable to wed a ceasefire. The only outcome is the limited agreement on the exchange of prisoners – emphasizes the alarming truth: the current system of negotiations is not working.

Meanwhile, military escalation on both sides does not indicate signs of slowdown. In such an atmosphere, diplomacy is becoming increasingly difficult. The feelings are inaccessible, and the unmatched comparisons with the frozen armed forces of the Korean Peninsula begin to appear – a scenario that would only strengthen the division, detain resentment and leave the main territorial issues not solved.

Therefore, we need to think about how these conversations are structured and controlled. Yes, a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire-as Ukraine proposed in Istanbul-is the minimum needed to create a place for diplomacy. Negotiations must be conquered without prerequisites, offering all parties the seat at the table on a neutral ground.

There is no shortage of thoughtful policy proposals in the West that outlines possible ways to peace. We support calls for a stronger international involvement, in particular from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. What you need now is an urgent, coordinated global activity before the acorn is raised to make the escalation even more uncontrollable.

But there is a deeper disadvantage of facilitating current talks – often Foreign Ministers approaching the conflict as a technical problem to solve: add a concession here, take away the request there. Each party calculates whether the result is good. This arithmetic approach cannot work – not in the conflict due to trauma, identity, loss and justice.

What is still not in this discussion is a real conversation about justice, responsibility and healing. Without the transition, the process of justice cannot be sustainable peace. As has long been noted by scientists and practitioners, a frozen conflict without responsibility only extends suffering and determines the stage of further violence. There is also too little attention to the trauma of society – the emotional and psychological duties of the war against civilians, soldiers and healthy communities.

Too much blood is torn off to exclude these dimensions from the peace process. Negotiations cannot succeed if one side focuses on rescuing the face at the expense of truth. A durable outcome is only possible when the facts are recognized – aggression, occupation and millions of suffering.

Now you need a new type of diplomacy – one that reflects the deep injury of this war. The mood in Ukraine is heavy, which is haunted by daily reminders of losses: sirens, ruined homes, soldier’s coffin quietly passing otherwise on a regular street. Peace should start with recognition – not only legal boundaries and security guarantees, but also pain.

It is essential and too often forgotten – a prerequisite for any meaningful dialogue, turkiye or elsewhere. Recognition of human costs is not weakness; It is power. Without it, any ceasefire will remain fragile, any agreement incomplete.

Peace in Ukraine requires more than a political settlement. It requires social reconciliation – as important as diplomatic. History, Language, Identity: These are not peripheral issues in this war; They are its heart.

This means rethinking everything – who holds conversations where they are going on and how they are relieved. We need less talks about closed doors in Istanbul and more publicly targeted the process of truth and reconciliation with real international support.

It all depends on who convenes the process and how. The United States is uniquely positioned, possibly more efficiently than the European Union divided. But the recent statements by Trump’s camp, which many in Ukraine considered indifferent or igniting, are just inflamed tension. They do more harm than good.

A serious, strategic involvement is now needed – led by the US in agreement with the EU and the UN, which at this point corresponds to the fact that it requires gravity. This is not a math problem. It is a matter of justice, healing and human survival.

It’s time to approach it.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author himself and do not always reflect the position of Al Jazeera’s editorial staff.