Analysts: Difficult to predict how Russia-Ukraine war might develop

Following meetings between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine this week, analysts said it is necessary to wait and see what the outcome, if any, will be. It is difficult to predict how the war may develop.
On Saturday, while attending the funeral of Pope Francis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump held their first in-person meeting since their altercation in the White House in February.
The U.S. is still trying to secure a temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and has held discussions with both parties.
Sunday's "Aktuaalne kaamera" asked two experts about the impact of the meeting and others held in recent days. Both said they see little significance, so far, in the conversation held at St. Peter's Basilica.
"It does appear sometimes that every time Trump meets with the actors involved that he changes his mind, so, in a way, it is hard to predict,' said Ivan Klyszcz, a researcher at the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn.
"There was indeed the indication that after President Trump met President Zelenskyy in the Vatican that he posted something on his social networks suggesting that maybe he has changed his approach a bit towards Russia. But, ultimately for us who try to follow what is going on, we need to also follow what they are doing. So far, there has not really been a tangible change in their policy," he told "Aktuaalne kaamera."
Friday's meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow may have played a role.
"The U.S. president has realized that he cannot create such an agreement just by constantly talking separately to Ukraine and Russia. A new sanctions package is being prepared in the U.S. Senate, which would threaten to almost completely halt Russia's oil trade," said security expert Rainer Saks.
If additional sanctions are imposed, Klyszcz said, it should ease concerns that Russia and the U.S. are on the same page. "But it is yet to be seen, of course," he added.
Moscow's continued bombing of Ukrainian cities during its touted easter "ceasefire" and lack of progress on the battlefield are also factors in the background.
The results of Zelenskyy's recent meetings with both Trump and European leaders can only be speculated upon.
"The meetings with Trump, European heads of state, and the president of the European Commission, it suggests that some sort of common ground has been found, which could also now tie Russia into quite serious negotiations," Saks said.
Photographs of the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy did not look like a discussion between two men harboring grudges, "Aktuaalne kaamera" said.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Helen Wright
Source: Aktuaalne kaamera