# Russia-Ukraine conflict and diplomatic tensions

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/russia-ukraine-conflict-and-diplomatic-tensions
> Updated: 2026-09-15T11:51:00.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 2.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has attributed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to the failure of diplomatic agreements involving the United States and Europe. Lavrov claimed that the war could have concluded a year ago if the United States had not abandoned the ‘Anchorage agreements’—a proposal reportedly reached during a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska—and if European leaders had not pressured Washington to withdraw.

In related statements, Lavrov criticized Western interpretations of United Nations mandates and referenced the ‘Encorig agreement’ failure. While expressing openness to resuming trilateral negotiations with the U.S. and Ukraine, Lavrov emphasized that Russian military operations will continue.

On the battlefield, Russian forces have reportedly seized Olkhovatka and are tightening their encirclement of Ukrainian troops in the Kharkiv region. Concurrently, drone strikes have targeted Ukrainian railway infrastructure, ports, and logistics centers.

## Claims

- The war in Ukraine could have ended over a year ago if the United States had not withdrawn from the Anchorage agreements. (corroborated by 5 sources)
- European officials pressured the United States to abandon the Anchorage proposal. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- Russia remains open to resuming trilateral negotiations involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. (single source)
- Russian military operations in Ukraine will continue even if peace negotiations take place. (single source)
- Sergei Lavrov plans to meet with Marco Rubio during the UN General Assembly. (single source)
- Lavrov denied reports of a potential US-Russia deal involving support for Ukraine in exchange for support for Iran. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-15: Lavrov criticizes Encorig agreement failure and reports Russian advances in Ukraine

Sergey Lavrov criticizes Western handling of the Encorig agreement, while Russian forces advance in Kharkiv and drones strike Ukrainian infrastructure.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lavrov-criticizes-encorig-agreement-failure-and-reports-russian-advances-in-ukraine

### 2026-09-15: Sergei Lavrov blames U.S. and Europe for continued Ukraine war

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claims the Ukraine war could have ended a year ago if the U.S. and Europe had not abandoned the “Anchorage agreements” reached between Trump and Putin.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lavrov-claims-anchorage-agreements-could-have-ended-ukraine-war

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Cite as: Russia-Ukraine conflict and diplomatic tensions. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/russia-ukraine-conflict-and-diplomatic-tensions