The Kremlin has lowered its mediation efforts which may give the U.S. a chance to restore its position in the South Caucasus, Ariel Cohen, senior research fellow in Russian and Eurasian studies at The Heritage Foundation, said in an article published in the National Interest.
He also added that Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Azerbaijan unlikely made any changes on Karabakh issue. The remark on solving Karabakh conflict by political means was a signal to Azerbaijan.
"The Kremlin is not ready or willing to discuss any new initiatives and proposals that could potentially lead to solving the protracted conflict. This is largely due to the simple fact that Nagorno-Karabakh is an important guarantee of Russia’s political and military presence in the South Caucasus," Cohen said.
He said that the Kremlin has lowered its mediation efforts which may give the U.S. a chance to restore its position in the South Caucasus. He also added that the USA could use the situation and offer Russia to work together on the way of finding solution of the Karabakh conflict.