Vraag 2 | How do you conduct a conversation with authoritarian leaders like Putin and Trump? (Dutch spoken)
There has been a lot of negotiation in recent weeks about a ceasefire or peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Since the confrontation between Zelensky and Trump, this has involved quite a bit of diplomacy. How do you conduct a conversation with authoritarian leaders like Putin and Trump? Find out from international peace negotiator Fleur Ravensbergen in the latest episode of Vraag 2 on Spotify.
In this episode of Vraag 2, Jip Koene phones international peace negotiator Fleur Ravensbergen. She held high-level talks in Northern Ireland, Libya, Iraq and Congo, among others. She is also involved in the master’s in Conflict Resolution and Governance at the UvA. According to Ravensbergen, because of the confrontation with Trump, Zelensky risks making a worse deal than before.
‘Ukraine's fear is that even if an agreement is reached, Russia will still violate it and invade again, as we saw after the Minsk agreement in 2014,’ says Ravensbergen. ‘That is why America's security guarantees are so important.’
A ceasefire based on loose deals will not lead to a sustainable peace agreement, according to Ravensbergen. ‘An agreement must do justice to the situation, the injustice and the underlying conflict dynamics,’ she says. ‘Otherwise, you only freeze the conflict and don't solve the war.’
Listen to the latest podcast episode on Peace Negotiations on Spotify.
Production & presentation: Jip Koene
Final editor: Irene Schoenmacker
Music: Paolo Argento
