Daniel Fried said there's a danger Russia will “do nothing” while the US puts pressure on Ukraine to make concessions. Vladimir Putin shows no signs of being serious about peace talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, former US ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried has told TVP World. Fried welcomed the fact that Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had “finally” visited Kyiv, which he said they had previously “ducked... under various pretexts.” He said there remains a danger that Russia will “do nothing” while Washington puts pressure on Ukraine to make concessions. “Any steps toward a ceasefire or any restrictions in military activity have to be balanced,” he said. “They have to be mutual.” Arguing that “Putin shows no evidence whatsoever of taking peace negotiations seriously,” Fried said that if the Russian leader is truly aware of the war’s impact on his country and its society, “he may be interested in finding a way to lower tensions without ever appearing weak.” But Fried doubted a trilateral meeting would take place between Trump, Putin and Ukraine’s Zelenskyy. He added that the US could do more to bring peace to Ukraine. “The United States is not a mere passive bystander,” he said. “We can do things to help bring an end to this war by diplomatic efforts, but... we are holding back perfectly good leverage we might have on the Russians.”
