Russia: The US is no longer an objective mediator of the Ukrainian war

Russian soldiers take cover in a tank on the battlefield. (Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation-Mil.ru)

JAKARTA - Russia said the United States (US) was not an objective mediator in its efforts to mediate the end of the Ukrainian war.

US-led negotiations to end the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II have stalled as US President Donald Trump has turned his attention to the Middle East after colluding with Israel to order an attack on Iran on February 28, 2026.

"As for the United States, judging by their actions, it seems that they have abandoned any claim to the role of an objective mediator and are instead pursuing a path of increasing sanctions pressure on Russia," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told diplomats from other countries in Moscow on Tuesday, June 23, quoted by AFP.

At a G7 summit meeting in France earlier this month, the leaders of the country - one of them Trump - agreed to increase pressure on Russia's "war economy" by strengthening sanctions, including on the energy sector.

Since returning to the White House in 2025, Trump - who has vowed to end the war in Ukraine the day after taking office - has pushed both sides to engage in negotiations.

Only little progress has been made in the US-mediated back-and-forth diplomacy, with most Ukrainians refusing to surrender territory and limiting their troops, according to Russian demands.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions in Ukraine have been forced from their homes since Russia launched a full-scale offensive in February 2022.