Negotiations in the Western sense meaning of the word - negotiations based on trust and an honest search for compromises - with Putin and the Kremlin are impossible.
This statement was made on a BBC podcast by John Sullivan.
He is a former US Ambassador to Moscow under Donald Trump and Joe Biden, 2019-2022.
"Don't get me wrong: we need to talk to the Russians, we need to present them [our positions] and, importantly, listen to what they say to us, but this is not a negotiation! What does Putin say, what compromises is he ready for? None!
He will never compromise on his military goals ie. "denazification and demilitarization" of Ukraine. And Ukraine is just the beginning," said Sullivan.
According to the former US ambassador to Moscow, Putin may agree to a ceasefire if the situation at the front prompts him to seek a reprieve, but it will only be a reprieve.
"If you think of negotiating with him in the spirit in which we in the West understand negotiations, you will fail", the American diplomat is categorical.