The Anchorage Agreements are no longer mentioned in negotiations with Russia, says Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the so-called “Anchorage agreements,” which included Russia’s demands for recognition of its sovereignty over the occupied Ukrainian territories, are no longer on the negotiating table.

According to the president, the negotiation process has moved away from issues concerning Ukraine’s neutral status and the so-called “Anchorage ‘3+2’ agreements.” This refers to demands for the recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions occupied by Russia.

“In my view, what happened regarding Ukraine’s neutrality and the ‘3+2’ Anchorage Agreements (which refer to the recognition of the Russian Federation’s sovereignty over Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions it occupies—ed.), has caused the negotiation process to veer away from all of this. And the United States team played a role here,” Zelenskyy noted.

At the same time, the president emphasized that the Armed Forces of Ukraine played the most significant role in removing the so-called “spirit of Anchorage” from the agenda.

“On the battlefield, we are in control of the situation today. It’s difficult for us, but the ‘Russians’ aren’t making any major advances, and where they do, it’s costing Russia dearly—in terms of human lives, in the hundreds and thousands,” the President said.

According to Zelenskyy, the situation on the front lines gives Ukraine the opportunity to reject the demands of the Russian Federation, which the Ukrainian side “will never accept in this format.”

The President also stated that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, as before, seeks to occupy all of Ukraine, not just the Donbas.

“Especially in the fight against a monster—a large country is a monster in and of itself, not just because it is led by a certain person—it is clear that the Donbas is not the goal. And even if our colleagues from the U.S. (…) truly believe that Putin wants only the Donbas—though even that ‘only’ is too much, in my view, (…)—nevertheless, we have no illusions that he wants to seize and occupy our state in one form or another so that Ukraine becomes part of his state,” he said.

Zelenskyy noted that it is precisely because of Russia’s position that the peace process remains difficult. According to him, Moscow continues to make demands that Ukraine is not prepared to accept, while the situation on the front lines remains one of the key factors influencing Kyiv’s negotiating position.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy made these remarks during a meeting with representatives and leaders of the Ukrainian community in the U.S. during his visit to New York.

Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian President’s Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, traveled to the U.S. for the first time since last December to hold talks with representatives of the Donald Trump administration. 

As a reminder, on September 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York.

Earlier, Donald Trump stated that Russian dictator Putin is ready to meet to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. According to the U.S. president, both sides want this.

Vladimir Putin is ready to hold another meeting with Donald Trump, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on September 23. According to him, talks are possible after a concrete agreement is reached on holding official negotiations.