I believe it because so many rounds of talks were held.
Between whom though? It was not between Putin or Zelensky, nor between the foreign ministers. Russia just sent some guy from the third rank, someone not authorized to make any of the real concessions needed to make peace (in a personalized regime like Russia, that would be only Putin). This was at a time when the West was still not fully commited to sending heavy weapons, let alone tanks to Ukraine. An obvious Russian attempt at stalling while hoping that things got solved quickly on the battlefied.
The Bucha discovery was more then two months after several rounds of talks took place.
Indeed. And the discovery destroyed any small chance of a quick resolution to the conflict, if we choose to believe that Russia was actually interested in such a solution in the first place (which again is highly doubtful).
Putin lies, stalls and deceives. That is what he does. It is what he did at Minsk when he initially claimed that the Russian soldiers in Ukraine did not belong to Russia and he has been doing it ever since. Even politicians who genuily hoped that they could help broker a diplomatic resolution like Scholz and especially Macron have by now realized this.
Ukraine is backed into a corner.
They are, but not by the West. Their country is being invaded by a man who utterly hates their nation and their national identity. Who lies every time he talks about Ukraine. Who has broken every agreement his country ever made with Ukraine. Who has made it the central mission of his reign to wipe their country, if not their people from the map.
@@AntV
If we are to believe Schroeder,
Don't. Do not repeat the mistake we Germans made and trust any of his claims about Putin (whose friendship he has not renounced btw) or Russia.
Keep in mind that he has no government position, was not on any official mission when he visited Putin, neither from Berlin nor Kiev. He has no access to secret government information, and there is really no reason at all to take his word over the one from people who were actually involved in the negotiations, like the afore mentioned Israelian PM.