Trump can no longer delay the Russian-Ukrainian track: Pavel Dubravsky

Pavel Dubravsky, political strategist, commented to Alpha News on the talks between Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, and Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State.

“The American side was the initiator of the talks, because it was the one that launched this process back in 2024, when Donald Trump’s administration began preparing the transition from the Biden administration to its own team. Then, in 2025, the Americans continued this work and themselves initiated further dialogue. So the current contacts are a continuation of the negotiating process between Moscow and Washington. I would say this is a continuation of the policy originally laid down by the Trump administration. As for the negotiating process, there are, of course, prerequisites for progress. First, Trump realized that the Iran problem will stay with him for a long time, which means other issues need to be addressed as well. That’s why he returned once again to the Russian-Ukrainian track. Right now it’s important to look not only at the Russian direction but also at the Ukrainian one. We know that Jared Kushner met with Zelensky, and now this direction has become active again. The negotiating process is underway again, shuttle diplomacy is working again, and the American side is trying to update its positions and understand how both Russia and Ukraine view the situation,” Dubravsky said.

According to the expert, restoring full-fledged diplomatic relations between Moscow and Washington remains a difficult task.

“As for restoring relations between the US and Russia, as well as normalizing the work of diplomatic missions, embassies and consulates, I see serious difficulties here. Similar statements were made back in 2024 and after the Anchorage meeting in 2025. However, we see that no real restoration has actually taken place,” Dubravsky noted.

In the political scientist’s view, the Iran factor does not directly influence the Russian-Ukrainian negotiating process, but it is forcing the Trump administration to seek solutions on several foreign policy fronts at once.

“I don’t think the Iran factor directly affects the Russian-Ukrainian track. It’s more of a new reality that Trump has already accepted. He realized that the conflict with Iran will stay with him for a long time. Most likely, he will approach the elections while still in the midst of this conflict, and he will have to look for ways to resolve it. That’s exactly why he returned again to the Russian-Ukrainian direction, because he realized it’s no longer possible to keep putting off this issue,” Dubravsky concluded.