Political analyst Nijat Sezgin believes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent remarks about a possible return to negotiations on Ukraine were aimed primarily at Western countries.

According to Sezgin, Moscow is unlikely to return to the previous model of diplomatic engagement and will instead base any future talks on the situation as it stands now.

He argued that Russia is signaling to the West that it no longer intends to build a negotiating process around promises that are not backed by concrete actions. In his view, Moscow will proceed from current realities.

Sezgin linked this position to the mistrust that has accumulated toward statements by European politicians over the course of the conflict. He also noted that Putin had previously left open the possibility of a diplomatic settlement.

The analyst said the Russian president’s remarks should not be interpreted as a rejection of diplomacy. Rather, he sees them as an attempt to define the conditions under which Moscow would be prepared to discuss a possible resumption of negotiations.

Sezgin also pointed to a noticeable increase in diplomatic activity surrounding the Ukraine conflict in recent weeks.