Twenty years ago, a high-level diplomatic conference on the Middle East was unthinkable without the participation and leadership of the United States. Today, Turkey, Russia, and Iran begin negotiations without Washington, while Syrian opposition travels to Moscow to discuss the future of the country Russia has also strengthened ties with Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israel. What is the main meaning of the above paragraph? ['On the Middle East, Russia has basically replaced the United States in Middle East affairs.', 'U. S. control and influence in the Middle East has declined significantly.', 'The Middle East begins to be dominated by the United States.', 'The future of the Middle East is in the hands of major countries such as the United States or Russia and cannot dominate itself.']