Karabakh Dispute: Russia Asserts Mediation Superiority Despite U.S. Initiative

Russia has responded to the US-hosted peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, stating that there is "no alternative" to the deal that Moscow signed with the two countries in 2020. The United States is seeking to quell recent tension over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has seen two wars in 1990 and 2020. Tensions have spiked again in recent days after Azerbaijan announced it had set up a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor, the only land link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking an angry response from Yerevan.