Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that the prospects for a peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war "look less and less realistic", despite the active diplomatic activity after the meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States in the the key American city of Anchorage in Alaska.
"Unfortunately, we must state that the powerful momentum from "The anchorage in favor of the agreements has largely been exhausted - both due to the actions of our opponents and those who want war to the last Ukrainian, especially among the Europeans," Ryabkov told journalists in Moscow, quoted by the "Interfax" agency.
We recall that the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump took place in August and was presented as an attempt to restart diplomatic contacts between Moscow and Washington. However, after it, the US president announced that he no longer supports a temporary ceasefire, but instead advocates a "long-term political settlement" that would include guarantees for the security and economic recovery of Ukraine. Trump then proposed a personal meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, followed by a trilateral peace forum with his participation. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky expressed readiness for such a dialogue, but Vladimir Putin questioned its legitimacy and the "meaning of negotiations with a person who does not control the real power in the country." After Anchorage, Trump changed his rhetoric on the conflict - he declared his readiness to sell weapons to NATO countries so that the Alliance could provide them to the Ukrainian army, and admitted that that with sufficient support from Europe Kiev can regain all occupied territories.
However, new sanctions against Moscow were not introduced, and diplomatic contacts between Washington and the Kremlin slowed down. According to Ryabkov, "there is currently no momentum towards compromise", and "the peace process is stalled due to the West".
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister added that Moscow is still "not closing the door to dialogue", but questions the sincerity of Western proposals, which, according to him, are aimed not so much at peace as at "imposing foreign policy dictates".