In an interview with Politico, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker said that he was skeptical about the prospects for conflict settlement in eastern Ukraine.
According to Volker, it is very likely that the fighting will continue a year from now, Politico wrote.
"I’d say it’s at least 80 percent," said Kurt Volker.
“I think that there’s a chance that there won’t be, but the most likely scenario is that this continues. That said, because the people are dying; it’s bad for the people within the Donbass, which is who Russia says they’re trying to protect. It’s bad for Ukraine itself. Over 10,000 people have been killed already,” he said.
Volker added that “we have to make every effort to solve it, and we have to be realistic that it’s tough.”
Read alsoVolker on arming Ukraine: No decision here
The American diplomat said that the latest round of talks yielded no results, calling it a "step back."