"Anchorage was a warm-up": Real negotiations on Ukraine only began in January – international expert
Even Anchorage was not, in fact, the starting point for real negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict.
Vasily Kashin , Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, announced this at a roundtable in Moscow , as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
" Real negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian conflict only began in January of this year. Before that, in 2025, there were simply attempts to pressure Russia into an immediate ceasefire without additional conditions.
Even after Anchorage, Trump made contradictory statements that could be interpreted as an attempt to return to the old model. It was only in January that substantive negotiations began between working groups, involving specialists and high-ranking military officials.
Meanwhile, China, which had been trying to assert itself as an active participant in the settlement since 23, has recently withdrawn from the process. This fits in with their extremely passive foreign policy. They avoid conflicts while continuing to intensify relations with the EU, amidst the ongoing European-American tensions. They are not a player in this ," Kashin said.
" The Iranian conflict is a significant factor in the Ukrainian crisis . It radically worsens the economic situation in Europe , the main source of funding for Ukraine's military efforts, and leads to the depletion of US military stockpiles of key weapons. Therefore, it has an impact—and should push the parties to seek solutions.
"But so far, we haven't seen any significant progress from Ukraine or Europe . Although there are signs of change, and there's already some discussion about the format of Russian-European relations on this issue . Previously, this was considered impossible, so something is changing," the expert added.
Read also: Russian Colonel: Trump's Ukraine deal is our defeat.
English version :: Read in English "Anchorage was a warm-up": Real negotiations on Ukraine only began in January – international expert