'This war is far from over': History experts are not convinced Russia is interested in peace negotiations

As Russian and Ukrainian diplomats partake in discussions about possibly agreeing to a ceasefire deal, history experts are still not convinced Russia is interested in peace. Following the discussions that took place on Tuesday, March 29, a number of Russian history experts weighed in with their concerns.

Olga Lautman, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis who also hosts a podcast known as the podcast, "Kremlin File," highlighted Russia's known history of not following through with negotiations and agreements. “Russia has never been interested in any negotiations and breaks all agreements,” Lautman told Yahoo News.

Referring to Russian history and the outcome of previous confrontations, Samuel Ramani, a University of Oxford history expert with a concentration on Russian politics also shared his skepticism with Yahoo! News.

“I am very, very skeptical of these peace negotiations,” Ramani said. “It’s very possible that the Russians could use these negotiations to buy time while escalating and consolidating their presence in eastern Ukraine.”

Andreas Umland, an intelligence analyst in Sweden, took to Twitter with his concerns. “While there is much talk about the announcement of a Russian troops’ withdrawal from Kyiv, the current shelling around Kyiv is reported to be actually stronger than before.”

Journalist David Satter briefly shared his opinion of Russian President Vladamir Putin and his history of authoritarian leadership. “Someone capable of such a crime is capable of anything,” journalist David Satter — who helped uncover the conspiracy — also told Yahoo News.

While Ian Bremmer of the Eurasia Groupo believes there could be a chance of an actual ceasefire, he also noted that there are limits on the negotiations. “I think there’s a shot we get a ceasefire,” says Bremmer. “But I can’t see sanctions getting eased, and that’s a real limitation for how far negotiations can get.”