Deputy FM highlights US-Russia alignment, calls for political will on Ukraine

Moscow and Washington share significant alignment on issues that could form the framework for resolving the Ukrainian crisis, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said, noting that political will is needed for the talks.

Responding to questions about his recent statement that Russia-US are on the verge of a Ukrainian settlement and whether both countries are acting in unison, he said there is considerable similarity in positions that could, in principle, become the framework for the entire set of agreements, Caliber.Az reports via Interfax.

“Regarding unison, I would be cautious, but there is no direct dissonance either,” Ryabkov added.

On the idea of being “on the verge,” he explained: “Of course, everything is relative. This should not be understood as expecting a package of documents to be signed literally right now—absolutely not. But if we compare where we were before the Trump administration took office with the current moment, it is a big step forward.”

He noted that many on “the other side” describe the last 5% of negotiations as the most difficult. “It’s 5%, not 55%. Political will is needed, as is realism in assessing the situation. It must be understood that what was established in Anchorage is non-negotiable,” Ryabkov emphasised.

By Jeyhun Aghazada