- Russian leadership accepted U.S. proposals in August 2024, but no subsequent movement or pressure on Kyiv, Lavrov states.
ST. PETERSBURG – Nearly one year after the Anchorage summit, Russia observes no tangible progress toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine, nor any effort by the United States to persuade the Kyiv regime to accept Washington’s own proposals, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Izvestia on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). “On August 15, it will be one year since the Alaska summit, where American proposals on Ukraine were considered. The Russian leadership accepted these proposals. Yet since then, we have seen no progress, nor any willingness to convince Ukraine to accept these American proposals,” Lavrov stated. Lavrov also noted that all sanctions imposed by former U.S. President Joe Biden remain in force and are being extended. “And now sanctions from the Donald Trump administration have been added—targeting Lukoil, Rosneft, and many others,” he said.
According to Lavrov, the Pentagon openly supports not only European purchases of American weapons for Ukraine but also joint U.S.-Ukrainian programs to develop various types of armaments. “The Pentagon’s budget includes a line item to ensure security assistance to Ukraine through 2029. In other words, this is no longer the Biden legacy—this is a decision of the current administration,” the minister emphasized. Lavrov cited the position voiced by official Washington, including negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner: “They say, ‘If only we could get rid of Ukraine—get rid of this inherited problem—then we could focus on joint mutually beneficial projects. But Ukraine needs to be settled first.’”
When Russia hears such statements, Lavrov explained, Moscow assumes that—from the Russian perspective—“Ukraine was settled in Anchorage last August, if it depends on the Russian Federation. The United States’ proposal was accepted, and they acted as an intermediary. But for some reason, once one side accepted their mediation offer, they cooled on the process and applied no pressure on Ukraine.”
BY: The Times Union – TASS
