Is US mediation making the Russia-Ukraine conflict worse?

Zhao Huirong, director of the Ukraine Studies Office at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Daily that third-party mediation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict should focus on restoring peace. If the US administration seeks to profit from the conflict, it would not help resolve it — instead, it would only make the situation worse.

Zhao noted that both Russia and Ukraine remain open to negotiations, with a potential third round of talks expected by late June. However, military confrontation still takes precedence over diplomacy, and deep divisions over core interests will make future negotiations increasingly difficult.