Estonia claims US becoming less optimistic over Ukraine peace talks with Russia

ISTANBUL

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur on Monday said he believes the US, which has led efforts to end the war in Ukraine, is becoming less optimistic about negotiations with Russia, public broadcaster ERR reported.

"The White House is aware that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to negotiate," Pevkur said in an interview, adding that it is “clear” the US understands Moscow will make “no concessions.”

"Repeated attempts to bring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin to the same negotiating table have failed. Looking at what is happening in Ukraine, there is no sign of a breakthrough. If anything, domestic politics in the US will come more into focus as fall approaches," Pevkur added.

He said that in Europe, "war fatigue" was starting to surface and that many Europeans were hoping for a breakthrough so they could approach the situation more calmly.

"There are two sides to the security guarantees for Ukraine: on the military side, there is an understanding of what to do once a ceasefire is reached. The political side is more complicated: Estonia is ready to contribute personnel, but, for example, Poland and some other countries have said they will not," Pevkur said.