According to Matthew Palmer, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, the Prespa Agreement is an exceptional diplomatic achievement. At a meeting with journalists in Greece, he added that the creativity, good faith and strong relations between the people in charge of the negotiations had helped in the achievement of the deal. Regarding Russia’s role, Palmer stated that Moscow was working against the deal, adding that it would continue those actions in a way that would see it try to undermine its implementation. Palmer considers that Russia prefers disputes and unrests in the region and, to a certain extent, distrust between countries from the Western Balkans.