Yuri Fedorov Explained What Message Putin Received From Washington

• 7.09.2026, 13:13

It is important to note the composition of the delegation.

The talks between representatives from the U.S. in Kyiv cannot be viewed in isolation from their meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Military expert Yuri Fedorov stated this in an interview with the YouTube channel “And Graham Struck”. The website Charter97.org provides an excerpt from the conversation.

— In my view, the picture looks something like this. First, I would note—as the first and, in my view, very important point—that there were not two, but three people in the American delegation. The third was a high-ranking representative of the U.S. Department of the Treasury Gene Lang, who is responsible for U.S. sanctions policy.

His presence in the American delegation meant, in my view, two things. First, Moscow was preparing to discuss the issue of easing sanctions more or less concretely and constructively in exchange for a change in Russia’s position on certain key issues of the settlement.

Lang is a member of the team led by Scott Bessent, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. On the one hand, Bessent is generally inclined to seek some kind of compromise with Russia. But, on the other hand, after a meeting with Anton Siluanov, the Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation, he stated quite decisively and openly: all negotiations and discussions with Russia regarding sanctions and various economic projects are possible only after a ceasefire.

Declare a ceasefire—then we’ll talk to you. This position, in my view, is very important.