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Russian refusal of US mediation

The Russian announcement during the 2026 Iran war that it would no longer take part in Ukraine settlement talks led by the United States, on the grounds that Washington had negotiated with Iran and attacked it mid-negotiation. John Kiriakou's assessment was that the reasoning was correct.

Russian refusal of US mediation refers to Moscow’s announcement, during the 2026 Iran war, that it would no longer engage in Ukraine settlement talks headed by the United States.

John Kiriakou summarised the Russian position as a straightforward inference from American conduct: Washington had been “engaged supposedly in talks with Iran, pretending to go through talks with Iran, and then they attacked Iran,” so “why should we trust the Americans to broker talks with Ukraine when they could just as soon turn around and attack us in the middle of the talks.”[1] His own verdict was one sentence: “I think that’s exactly right.”[1]

He strengthened the point by noting that it had happened twice — “the two wars with Iran happened in the middle of the so-called discussions that America was having with Iran on its nuclear program” — and concluded that the United States “can’t be trusted anymore.”[2]

The same passage records that Donald Trump had reached out twice within ten days for a ceasefire with Iran, and that the Iranians had played games with the approaches.[2]

See also

References

  1. Unfiltered With S.A.M., 2026-04-0305:39 on YouTube · Transcript
  2. Unfiltered With S.A.M., 2026-04-0306:11 on YouTube · Transcript

Sourced from John Kiriakou's on-record public statements. See his profile for the full body of his interviews, podcast appearances, and short-form video.