The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, underlined that the goal of Russia remains the full "liberation" of Donbass and Novorossiya, while he revealed that no agreements were achieved during the August 2025 summit in Anchorage with the president of the USA, Donald Trump.
At the same time, he expressed doubts that European leaders could have convinced Trump to change his stance toward Ukraine.
Putin also reiterated that Moscow is ready to resume dialogue with Washington, as soon as the active phase of the conflict with Iran is completed.
"The terms for Ukraine are becoming increasingly difficult"
According to Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs, Russia still remains committed to its core positions, which include full control of Donbass and the territories it already holds, as well as the continuation of negotiations on the remaining issues.
As he stated to Vedomosti, the pattern according to which every new diplomatic effort takes place under more unfavorable conditions for Ukraine, with the demands of Moscow constantly increasing, has not changed.
The role of the USA and the difference with Europe
According to Lukyanov, the United States do not show particular interest in diplomacy at the present stage, as they do not possess a clear picture of the desired outcome of the war and adjust their stance depending on developments.
He argued that Moscow clearly distinguishes the USA from Europe.
As he mentioned, despite their limitations, the Americans still demonstrate some flexibility that could advance diplomacy, while Europe maintains an unyielding position, without any disposition for concessions toward Russia.
Lukyanov estimated that the USA could play some role in a political and diplomatic settlement, however their contribution will be limited.
"We should not expect a decisive contribution from Trump and his team. Simply put, he is not that interested," he stressed.
"The narrative about a Ukrainian counteroffensive is false"
Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics of Russia, argued that the core message of Putin's speech is that the narrative promoted by Europe and Kyiv about changing the course of the war in favor of Ukraine is false.
According to him, Putin's reference to the "liberation" of Donbass and Novorossiya constitutes a message to Donald Trump.
"If the United States withdraw the proposals they had submitted in Anchorage, then Moscow will also withdraw the compromises it was willing to make at that time," he stated.
Internal disagreements in the Trump administration
Suslov argued that American mediation still matters, but only as long as the Trump administration does not adopt the positions of Europe and Ukraine.
"There is currently no other Western mediator besides Trump," he mentioned.
According to him, the Trump administration has not yet definitively formed its negotiating line.
On the one hand, there are officials who support a harder stance toward Russia, such as the Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
On the other hand, there are figures who appear more open to negotiations, such as the special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and the Vice President JD Vance.
Suslov estimated that the final American stance will be formed based on the actual situation on the battlefield.
"It is in the interest of Russia to convince Trump and his team that the narrative promoted by Europe and Ukraine does not correspond to reality. This is exactly what Vladimir Putin sought to do," he concluded.
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