People standing near a Ukrainian national flag watch as dark smoke billows following an air strike in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 26, 2022. (ALEKSEY FILIPPOV / AFP)
MOSCOW – One hundred days into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the deadly crisis with global repercussions still shows no sign of easing off.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, his country's special military operation in Donbass starting on Feb 24 was launched in response to the fundamental threats posed by NATO and the bloc's eastward expansion.
The global community has since been closely monitoring how the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to remodel the global economy, energy landscape as well as diplomatic and military ties
The global community has since been closely monitoring how the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to remodel the global economy, energy landscape as well as diplomatic and military ties.
Russian officials have repeatedly stressed that the special military operation would continue until all its objectives are met, while Ukraine has vowed to "fight till the end."
ALSO READ: Moscow: Russia and Saudi foreign ministers praise OPEC+
In this context, the West's ever-increasing military aid to Ukraine and unprecedented pressure on Moscow have strongly exacerbated the situation, and created barriers to future peace talks.
With both Russia and Ukraine adhering to different negotiation positions, the prospect of peace remains elusive.
Changes on the ground
Following the end of the battle in Mariupol, with Russia taking control of the Azovstal steel plant and the city, both sides shifted their military focus to the northeastern part of the Donetsk region, and the western part of the Lugansk region.
The current military action is centered around two strategically important cities in the Lugansk region, namely Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.
The Ukrainian side has confirmed that heavy fighting continued in Severodonetsk. The head of the Lugansk regional military administration Sergei Haidai recently said that Russia was gaining control of most of the city, while Ukrainian forces were still showing resistance.
An aerial view taken on April 12, 2022, shows the city of Mariupol, during Russia's special military operation on Ukraine. (ANDREY BORODULIN / AFP)
During his visit to the frontline in Kharkiv region on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country's troops were facing an extremely difficult situation.
ALSO READ: Russia-Ukraine conflict reshapes global oil markets
In a Telegram post following the visit, the Ukrainian leader said his country would "defend its land till the very end" and "would fight and definitely win."
In a more recent address to the Luxembourg parliament on Thursday, Zelensky said that Russian forces controlled around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that Moscow's military operation would continue despite Western pressure and increased Western assistance to Kiev.
Russian military expert Aleksei Leonkov believes that the Ukrainian army has already suffered defeat in the battle for Donbass and that Kiev's efforts on the battlefield have not led to any tangible results.
According to Igar Tyskevich, an analyst at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, Russia's full control of the Donbass region would not be feasible in the short term, and that it would be difficult to predict how long this conflict would last.
Russia-Ukraine peace talks at a standstill
While there are noticeable developments on the battlefield, the same cannot be said about the current state of the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine. The prospect of peace remains bleak, as talks were put on hold following a controversial incident in Bucha in April.
Russian officials said that Moscow was willing to continue diplomatic talks, despite Ukraine's constant urge to deviate from previous agreements. After sending draft proposals to Kiev in April, Russia said the "ball was now in Ukraine's court."
A man embraces his wife as she is about to board a train at Sloviansk central station, in the Donbass region on April 12, 2022. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelensky said that Russian forces must return to positions held before the start of the conflict for diplomatic talks to continue. Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said such conditions were "impossible in principle."
World leaders have nonetheless continued to pursue mediation efforts. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have held multiple telephone conversations with Putin to discuss the Ukrainian crisis and the peace talks.
Turkey, which has expressed its desire to play a mediating role in the conflict and has already hosted a round of Russia-Ukraine talks, recently expressed readiness to host a new round of negotiations.
Nevertheless, none of the current efforts have led to a successful revival of the talks because of stark differences in the negotiation positions of both sides.
ALSO READ: Asian nations enhance food security amid Russia-Ukraine conflict
Russia has already begun strengthening its presence in southern and eastern Ukraine, including simplifying the procedures for residents in the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions in southern Ukraine to apply for Russian citizenship.
Some Russian analysts agree that it is pointless to continue negotiations with Zelensky on key political matters.
Alexander Perendzhiev, a Russian political and military analyst, has said that Zelensky is merely a puppet of the West, and the West itself is not ready for serious negotiations.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has also announced recently that the country was receiving Harpoon anti-ship missile systems from Denmark, Britain, and the Netherlands to defend itself in the Black Sea, while other countries will also supply defense equipment in the near future
Tyskevich, the analyst at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, believes the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has escalated into a "long-term war" and the "active phase" may last for several months or even longer, and the next key step would be to discuss the necessary conditions for a ceasefire agreement.
However, even if a truce is reached, according to the expert, it would be very fragile.
Western involvement
Instead of promoting peace talks and a rapid end to the conflict, the United States and its Western allies have continued to exert pressure on Russia, ramp up sanctions, and provide military assistance to Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that the United States would supply Ukraine with advanced rocket systems that Kiev had requested.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has also announced recently that the country was receiving Harpoon anti-ship missile systems from Denmark, Britain, and the Netherlands to defend itself in the Black Sea, while other countries will also supply defense equipment in the near future.
In a bid to contain Russia even further, European Union leaders have recently agreed to ban "more than two thirds" of Russian oil imports to the bloc, as they adopted their sixth package of sanctions against Russia.
The Kremlin has repeatedly stressed that by supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine, the United States was deliberately "adding fuel to the fire" and hindering a potential resumption of peace talks.
In recent telephone conversations with European leaders, Putin pointed out that the supply of weapons would further destabilize the situation and worsen the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
Russian political scientist Karine Gevorgyan noted that by providing Ukraine with an unlimited supply of weapons, the West risks depleting its own arsenals.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that the West is fighting a proxy war against Russia, using Ukraine as the battlefield.
If the West finally recovers from its "anti-Russian frenzy" and decides it wants to restore relations, , Moscow would seriously consider whether or not it needs to re-establish these ties, said Lavrov.
