Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the US and Europe of extending Moscow's war against Ukraine by a year after abandoning what he described as the "Anchorage Agreements" reached between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, The Moscow Times reports, quoted by Focus.
He stated during a roundtable on Ukraine that the conflict could have ended a year ago if the US had not backed down from the agreements reached. According to him, it was the intervention of European countries and Kiev that failed the peace process.
The Russian diplomat expressed regret that the understanding reached in August 2025 in Anchorage was abandoned by the American side.
"If the Americans had not abandoned the Anchorage agreements, if Europe had not withdrawn them from these agreements, we would have lived without war for a year now. This is an obvious fact," Lavrov believes.
According to him, Moscow had "fully" accepted the American proposal for a ceasefire, but representatives of the European Union and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky exerted pressure on Trump and "buried" the agreement. Subsequently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for a search for new approaches, and Trump himself described the issue of transferring the entire Donbass to Russian control as "difficult".
Although Moscow is ready to seek "reasonable compromises" and to start a new round of negotiations, Lavrov was categorical that the Kremlin's strategic goals remain unchanged. The country insists on ensuring its security, preventing NATO from reaching its borders, and protecting the Russian-speaking population. He added that military actions will continue until the West makes concessions and stops obstructing a diplomatic solution.