RPA GM member Artak Zakaryan writes:

“Finally, the Anchorage arrangements were ‘written on ice’…

The main conclusion of the 35-minute meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rubio in Manila is that the agreements reached in Anchorage are being forgotten, and the peace negotiations are at an impasse again.

During the discussion, Lavrov presented the situation on the front, warning that the continuation of arms supplies to Ukraine is “unacceptable” for Russia. For his part, Rubio stated that “the Anchorage negotiations have failed” and added that “Russia needs new ideas”.

It is obvious that these words mean concessions expected from Moscow, which Russia cannot agree to.

Apparently, it is about freezing the conflict on the current front line. Such a scenario, along with abandoning the issues of demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine, is being promoted by the West. However, it does not correspond to Russia’s interests in any way.

Russian President Putin has repeatedly stated that long-term peace is important, not a temporary ceasefire, especially considering that significant areas of Donbas are still under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

About a year ago, the Trump-Putin meeting in American Anchorage seemed like an important achievement. personal talks at the level of the presidents, informal contacts through Jared Kushner and Steve Wittkoff, and the emergence of Kirill Dmitriev as a negotiator. There was also a belief that this diplomatic channel, considered the most reliable, could build a direct dialogue. At that time, Russia was conducting offensive operations, the territories were coming under its control quite quickly, and the front lines were changing in its favor. There was an impression that there was very little left to reach the final agreements.

During the last year, as a result of the unjustified optimism of the Russian side, now the Ukrainian side is gradually gaining a tactical advantage in this war of technologies. If in 2025 In August, strikes against Russian territory were of a unique nature, now Ukraine strikes almost every day

Deep in Russia. Coordinated through the Starlink system and supported by American intelligence, the drones hit critical targets, including infrastructure hubs and oil refineries.

It is noteworthy that the USA does not even try to hide its role. Trump recently openly stated at a NATO summit, without mentioning the “Spirit of Anchorage,” that Washington supports such strikes, including an attack on a Moscow oil refinery. Moreover, the US is now interested in prolonging the conflict. the American military industry receives significant revenues from supplies to Ukraine, and the sanctions policy continues to weaken the Russian economy.

The result of the Manila meeting, in my opinion, is this. The Anchorage agreements, as the Armenian people figuratively say, were “written on ice”. The United States is now not interested in making peace on Russia’s terms. The negotiations have turned into a show of irreconcilability between the parties.

Freezing of the conflict, continued attacks on Russian territory, use of drones and increased pressure have become the basis of the new strategy of the West. Waiting for real solutions is difficult for now. The Russian MFA can only record that the Manila meeting became the next step leading to a diplomatic impasse.

And peace, like war, always begins on the battlefield.”