Beware the 'Anchorage Formula': Why Russia has invented an agreement with the US to mask its disdain for peace talks
Source: CNN
Beware the ‘Anchorage Formula’: Why Russia has invented an agreement with the US to mask its disdain for peace talks
3 hr ago
PUBLISHED Jan 27, 2026, 9:22 AM ET
Analysis by Clare Sebastian
In Russian statements surrounding the latest round of peace talks in Abu Dhabi, a new catchphrase is emerging: “the Anchorage Formula.”
“The territorial question, which is part of the ‘Anchorage Formula,’ of course carries particular significance for the Russian side,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday, adding, “our negotiators continue to defend our position.”
In comments two days earlier, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov also harked back to that bilateral summit in Alaska last August, saying Moscow was looking for a peace deal “that fully corresponds to the fundamental understandings reached by the presidents of Russia and the US during their meeting in Anchorage.”
But here’s the thing: That much-touted summit did not result in any kind of concrete “understandings.” There was no talk whatsoever, until now, of an “Anchorage Formula.” President Donald Trump was very clear, as he stood side-by-side with Vladimir Putin after they emerged from their August talks in Anchorage, that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
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It wasn’t until the emergence of the 28-point peace plan in November, a document that contained many of Moscow’s maximalist demands, that the topic of Alaska started to resurface. ...
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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/27/world/russia-ukraine-talks-anchorage-formula-analysis-intl