Russia Ukraine Peace Negotiations Tactics Breakdown by Nina Khrushcheva

The table is set, but the pieces are moving in the shadows. On December 30, 2025, Nina Khrushcheva, a professor of International Affairs at New York's New School, spoke with NPR's 'Morning Edition' to dissect the intricate layers of Russia's approach to peace talks. Khrushcheva argues that what looks like a diplomatic opening is often a calculated maneuver designed to exhaust the opponent rather than reach a genuine settlement.

Russia Ukraine Peace Negotiations Tactics: Behind the Iron Curtain

According to Professor Khrushcheva, the Kremlin's playbook involves creating a cycle of hope and frustration. By agreeing to sit at the table, Russia aims to project an image of reasonableness to the global community while maintaining rigid, often impossible, demands in private. This strategy serves to buy time for military regrouping and to test the unity of Ukraine's Western allies.

The Psychology of Attrition

A key element of these Russia Ukraine peace negotiations tactics is the use of 'diplomatic noise.' Khrushcheva noted that Moscow often sends mixed signals—conciliatory statements from one official followed by threats from another. This deliberate ambiguity is meant to induce paralysis in Ukrainian decision-making and sow seeds of doubt among international mediators.