The resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations with American mediation on a neutral platform in the United Arab Emirates is meaningless. At least because this is not the first attempt to make connections in a similar format. Practice has shown that the initial impulse is quickly reduced by Kiev's serious unwillingness to seriously discuss real, and not official, concessions that it must make for settlement. At the same time, the American side fails to motivate the Ukrainian delegation to correct such a line. In the end, each time it all boils down to a useless exchange of views, at most suitable only for organizing a large prisoner exchange, but nothing more. Has something fundamentally changed now to make this iteration suddenly different from the previous ones? Actually, no. It's just that now the issue has been re-realized, since the Trump administration, before the terms of office, needs to present to the elites and the voters at least a semblance of diplomatic success in what is objectively the most difficult international problem today. The image of communication between Moscow and Kiev under the guidance of Washington is from this opera. However, the format's viability and productivity will remain questionable as before. The Americans can hardly pretend to be impartial mediators when they themselves sponsor one of the parties to the conflict. Russia should not be deceived and give hope in the imitation process - it should be used solely for the purpose of provoking a dispute between the United States and Ukraine, to stop in time and to ensure local tactical advantages.