The Kremlin has reiterated that a lasting peace in Ukraine is unattainable without resolving the territorial disputes in the country’s east, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. He referred to the so-called “Anchorage formula,” which Moscow insists must be applied for any long-term settlement to be possible.

“The main point confirmed in the talks between our president and the Americans is that without resolving the territorial issue in line with the Anchorage agreement, there is no expectation of a lasting peace,” Ushakov told reporters, according to Interfax. He added that Russia claims to be genuinely interested in achieving a political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict, but stressed that until territorial issues are settled, the military campaign - officially termed by Russia as a “special military operation” - will continue, with Russian forces reportedly maintaining the strategic initiative on the ground.

The comments came after a meeting at the Kremlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, which lasted over three and a half hours. No agreements or ceasefire announcements followed the talks, mirroring past diplomatic encounters between the two sides.

The “Anchorage formula” refers to discussions held on 15 August 2025, when US President Donald Trump and Putin met at a military base in Alaska. That meeting ended without any formal agreements or a ceasefire, despite claims of significant progress. The following day, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and held a joint call with Zelensky and European leaders. According to Bloomberg, during these conversations, Trump indicated that Putin was demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, while expressing a willingness to freeze the line of contact in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.