Political scientist Koshel analyzes Trump’s plan, US pressure on Russia boosts peace chances

"I assess that Russia has taken a step forward and shown that negotiations can take place. Up until now, we've only seen games and delays.

This isn't just about elections or individual points — it's clearly about Russia backing down and abandoning several demands.

It's still too early to speak definitively, as we don't even know the framework agreements or positions from Russia or the United States.

However, I’ve noticed that several issues are no longer on the table.

There’s no issue regarding elections, no demand about the official state language, which Russia had clearly raised starting in the fall of 2021. The church issue, too, is no longer a point of discussion.

I would also note that in the past year, people close to Putin had made the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate one of their key demands. The size of the Ukrainian army and restrictions on its military-industrial complex are no longer topics of concern either.

I’m mentioning only about 10 points as a reminder, but in reality, there are many more.

The fact that Russia has abandoned these conditions suggests the possibility of peace agreements is increasing. Perhaps not just the probability, but the realism of Trump's peace plan itself is growing.

Why is this happening? Clearly, there was pressure on Moscow, or certain signals suggesting that another, tougher approach could be taken. This is likely how the agreements were reached."