Cognitive, Structural, and Behaviour: The Deadlocked Situation in The Negotiation for Resolving Conflict Between Russia and Ukraine (2022-2025)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61194/ijss.v7i2.2045Keywords:
russia, ukraine, war, negotiation, deadlock.Abstract
This paper examines recent negotiations regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The conflict escalated into a full-scale war in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Using qualitative descriptive study and document analysis using Faure’s deadlock framework, this research identifies several indicators which show the negotiation between Russia and Ukraine for resolving their conflict has reached a deadlocked situation. This research also found that several factors such as cognitive, structural, and behavioural factor is causing the deadlock within the negotiations. The findings suggest that these factors are creating a condition where no substantive result and repeated arguments happened, which is indicators that the negotiation has reached a deadlocked condition. These findings also give implications towards the negotiation dynamics between two party, suggesting several strategies needed to overcome the deadlock within the negotiations. This research contributes to the limited amount of discourse regarding the negotiation conditions that occurred between Russia and Ukraine for resolving their conflict, offering a new perspective by applying Faure’s indicators and factors such as Cognitive, Structural, and Behaviour towards this issue.
References
ABC News. (2022, March 3). Ukraine and Russia end second round of peace talks in regret, as reports dispute port city’s fall. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-04/ukraine-and-russia-meet-for-second-round-of-peace-talks/100880588#Top
Açıkalın, Ş. N. (2025). LEADER TO LEADER DIPLOMACY IN PEACEMAKING: THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR. Yönetim Bilimleri Dergisi, 23(57), 1451–1473. https://doi.org/10.35408/comuybd.1550252
Akhand, A. (2024, February 29). How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine impacts global food security. Australian Strategic Policy Institute. https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/how-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-impacts-global-food-security/
Al Jazeera. (2022, March 16). Russia-Ukraine peace talks ‘sounding more realistic’. Al Jazeera News Agency. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/16/zelenskyy-says-russia-ukraine-peace-talks-more-realistic
Aris, B. (2022, March 4). Second round of Russia, Ukraine peace talks ends with no progress, assault on Kyiv looms. Bne IntelliNews. https://www.intellinews.com/second-round-of-russia-ukraine-peace-talks-ends-with-no-progress-assault-on-kyiv-looms-236977/
Åtland, K. (2020). Destined for deadlock? Russia, Ukraine, and the unfulfilled Minsk agreements. Post-Soviet Affairs, 36(2), 122–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/1060586X.2020.1720443
Åtland, K. (2024). War, diplomacy, and more war: why did the Minsk agreements fail? International Politics, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-024-00637-x
Balmforth, T., & Maclean, W. (2025, June 1). Ukrainian proposals for June 2 talks with Russia in Istanbul. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-proposals-june-2-talks-with-russia-istanbul-2025-06-01/
Baranowski, M., Jabkowski, P., & Kammen, D. M. (2025). From the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the battlefield of the future: The geopolitical fight for Ukraine’s mineral wealth. Energy Research & Social Science, 123, 104043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2025.104043
Barreto, V., & Gormezano, D. (2025, June 5). War in Ukraine: What’s in the Russian memorandum? France 24 News Agency. https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250605-war-in-ukraine-what-s-in-the-russian-memorandum
Batta, A. (2024). Roadblocks to Peace in Russia’s War in Ukraine. Orbis, 68(4), 666–676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2024.09.010
Belton, C. (2022, March 7). Russia will stop ‘in a moment’ if Ukraine meets terms - Kremlin. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/kremlin-says-russian-military-action-will-stop-moment-if-ukraine-meets-2022-03-07/
Bialasiewicz, L. (2024). Geographical storylines and the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Narrative power and narrative taboos, a (difficult) conversation. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 42(7), 1105–1107. https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544241276325
Bramsen, I., & Svensson, I. (2024). Peace Talks in the Russia-Ukraine War: When, Who, and How? International Negotiation, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718069-bja10106
Bukhari, S. R. H. (2024). Ukraine and Russia: A Historical Analysis of Geopolitical Dynamics, National Identity, and Conflict Escalation Leading to the Present-Day Crisis. Kurdish Studies, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.58262/ks.v12i2.430
Charap, S., & Radchenko, S. (2024, April 16). The Talks That Could Have Ended the War in Ukraine. Foreign Affairs. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/talks-could-have-ended-war-ukraine
Cooper, J. (2025). Preparing for a Fourth Year of War: Military Spending in Russia’s Budget for 2025. https://doi.org/10.55163/CBXJ2246
Ellison, J., Cox, M., Hanhimäki, J. M., Harrison, H. M., Ludlow, N. P., Romano, A., Spohr, K., & Zubok, V. (2023). The war in Ukraine. Cold War History, 23(1), 121–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/14682745.2023.2162329
Faure, G. O. (2005). Deadlocks in Negotiation Dynamics. In Escalation and Negotiation in International Conflicts (pp. 23–50). Cambridge University Press.
Fischer, S. (2022). Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine: mission impossible. Berlin: Stiftung Wissenschaft Und Politik -SWP- Deutsches Institut Für Internationale Politik Und Sicherheit, 2–7. https://doi.org/10.18449/2022C65
Grønmo, S. (2020). Social Research Methods: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE Publications.
Harding, L., & Koshiw, I. (2022, September 30). Ukraine applies for Nato membership after Russia annexes territory. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/30/ukraine-applies-for-nato-membership-after-russia-annexes-territory
Hopkins, V. (2022, February 28). Initial talks between Russia and Ukraine yield no resolution. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/world/europe/ukraine-russia-talks-belarus.html
Hynek, N., & Šenk, M. (2025). Ukraine–Russia peace plans: historical lessons, operationalising criteria, and comparative assessment. Peacebuilding, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2025.2585235
Inman, P. (2025, February 22). What have three years of Putin’s war done to both nations’ economies? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/22/what-have-three-years-of-putins-war-done-to-both-nations-economies?CMP=share_btn_url
Janowski, K. (2025, February 21). Civilian Harm and Human Rights Abuses Persist in Ukraine as War Enters Fourth Year. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. https://ukraine.un.org/en/289667-civilian-harm-and-human-rights-abuses-persist-ukraine-war-enters-fourth-year?afd_azwaf_tok=ey
Jones, S. G., & McCabe, R. (2025). Russia’s Battlefield Woes in Ukraine.
Kappeler, A. (2014). Ukraine and Russia: Legacies of the imperial past and competing memories. Journal of Eurasian Studies, 5(2), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euras.2014.05.005
Keliauskaite, U., Tagliapietra, S., & Zachmann, G. (2025, April 2). Europe urgently needs a common strategy on Russian gas. Bruegel. https://www.bruegel.org/analysis/europe-urgently-needs-common-strategy-russian-gas
Kimmage, M. (2024). Debating the war in Ukraine: In defense of the conventional wisdom. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 42(7), 1128–1132. https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544241276294
Lukiv, J., & Shevchenko, V. (2025, June 3). Russia and Ukraine fail again to agree ceasefire but commit to prisoner swap. BBC News Agency. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyng4dknwwo
Mälksoo, M. (2023). The Postcolonial Moment in Russia’s War Against Ukraine. Journal of Genocide Research, 25(3–4), 471–481. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2022.2074947
Mbah, R. E., & Wasum, D. (2022). Russian-Ukraine 2022 War: A Review of the Economic Impact of Russian-Ukraine Crisis on the USA, UK, Canada, and Europe. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 9(3), 144–153. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.93.12005
Minutolo, M. C., Vargas, L. G., Guiora, A. N., & Ray, M. (2023). Applying the AHP to Conflict Resolution: A Russia—NATO Case Study. Group Decision and Negotiation, 32(1), 147–176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-022-09803-z
Muggah, R., & Rohozinski, R. (2025). The Mineral Wars - How Ukraine’s Critical Minerals Will Fuel Future Geopolitical Rivalries. Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD). https://www.cirsd.org/en/horizons/horizons-winter-2025-issue-no-29/the-mineral-wars
Oksamytna, K. (2024). The moral and strategic clarity of supporting Ukraine’s self-defense: Why accepting Russian colonialism should remain a taboo. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 42(7), 1133–1138. https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544241277319
Onyebuchi, O. L. (2024). The Limits of Negotiation in bringing Russo-Ukraine War to an End. ISRG Journal of Arts Humanities & Social Sciences (ISRGJAHSS), 2(6). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14506895
Pruitt, D. G. (1981). Negotiation Behaviour. Academic Press.
Sauer, P. (2025, June 22). One million and counting: Russian casualties hit milestone in Ukraine war. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/jun/22/one-million-and-counting-russian-casualties-hit-milestone-in-ukraine-war
Sauer, P., & Harding, L. (2022, September 30). Putin annexes four regions of Ukraine in major escalation of Russia’s war. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/30/putin-russia-war-annexes-ukraine-regions
Seddon, M., Olearchyk, R., Massoudi, A., & Zilber, N. (2022, March 17). Ukraine and Russia explore neutrality plan in peace talks. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/7b341e46-d375-4817-be67-802b7fa77ef1
Shamim, S. (2025, May 15). Significant step: Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkiye – what to expect. Al Jazeera News Agency. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/15/significant-step-russia-ukraine-talks-in-turkiye-what-to
Tank, A. (2022). Economic Impact of Russia –Ukraine War. International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (IJIRSET), 11(4). https://doi.org/10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.1104025
Terremce, H. P. (2023). Back-channel negotiations: Initial steps toward ending the Russian war in Ukraine. In OSCE Insights 2023: Adapting to Change. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH und Co KG. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783748917366-05
Terrence, H. P. (2024). Deadlocked International Institutions: Implications for Negotiated Conflict Management. International Negotiation. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718069-bja10109
Toal, G. (2024). The territorial taboo: Explaining the public aversion to negotiations in the Ukraine war support coalition. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 42(7), 1108–1127. https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544241268335
von Essen, H., & Umland, A. (2023). Russia’s dictated non-peace in the Donbas 2014-2022: Why the Minsk agreements were doomed to fail. In Russia’s War of Aggression against Ukraine: ‘Zeitenwende’ for German Security Policy. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH und Co. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85190569288&partnerID=40&md5=799659c8b3f4195ef9e29f7332ca7f25
Yanatma, S. (2025, February 24). Three years on: How Russia’s invasion reshaped energy prices across Europe. Euro News. https://www.euronews.com/business/2025/02/24/three-years-on-how-russias-invasion-reshaped-energy-prices-across-europe
Zinets, N. (2022, February 27). Ukraine and Russia agree to talks without preconditions, Zelenskiy says. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-russia-agree-talks-without-preconditions-zelenskiy-says-2022-02-27/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dedi Yusuf, R. Widya Setiabudi Sumadinata, Akim

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.



