Russian officials initially reacted patiently to the agreement signed on August 8 between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan, mediated by US President Donald Trump, and did not make statements against the agreement. This was because Russian President Vladimir Putin was preparing for a meeting with Trump in Alaska at the invitation of his American counterpart. At that time, it was not considered appropriate for the Kremlin owner and his subordinates to make statements against the August 8 agreement. This would have meant casting doubt on Trump's efforts.
Modern.az reports that political scientist Elkhan Shahinoglu stated these words.
He noted that a month has passed since the agreement was signed in Washington, and Russian officials have now begun to make statements against the agreement signed by the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders in the US capital:
"The Kremlin, as always, put Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov forward. Although he called the agreement reached in Washington between Baku and Yerevan a sovereign right of the two countries, he did not forget two necessary additions. Firstly, Lavrov said that Russia is closely monitoring the implementation of the agreements. Secondly, according to Lavrov, initial positive reviews regarding the agreement have gradually been replaced by skeptical assessments, and allegedly not everything in the document has been agreed upon.
Lavrov's statement indicates that the Kremlin will try to hinder the implementation of the Washington agreement. With the words "skeptical reviews" about the agreement, the Russian Foreign Minister referred to Armenia's radical opposition. Because it is precisely the Armenian radicals who have heavily criticized the agreement signed in Washington. They are also the Kremlin's support. Yerevan and Washington must hurry. It is necessary to accelerate the construction of the Zangezur corridor and the process of signing a peace agreement with Azerbaijan. Delay will work in the Kremlin's favor."
