Russia has ‘clear stance' ahead of Putin-Trump summit
In an interview with the Russia 24 broadcaster released on Friday, Lavrov – who has reportedly arrived in Anchorage, where the talks are set to take place – declined to speculate on potential results of the summit.
'We do not predict anything in advance. We know that we have arguments, our stance is clear and well-defined. We will present them,' he said.
Lavrov added that Moscow and Washington have 'already done much' during the visits of US envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia. The official has traveled to the country five times since Trump's inauguration, with the last three-hour talks, mainly over the Ukraine conflict, taking place last week.
'Witkoff acted on behalf of President Trump. We hope that tomorrow we will continue this very useful conversation,' the foreign minister noted.
Moscow has said sustainable settlement of the Ukraine conflict can only be achieved if Kiev agrees never to join NATO, undergoes demilitarization and denazification, and recognizes the new reality on the ground. This includes the status of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions as part of Russia – territories that voted to join the country in public referendums in 2014 and 2022.
Trump earlier indicated that the discussions could include a land-swap agreement between Russia and Ukraine. However, Russia has rejected any notion of giving up territories incorporated through referendums. At the same time, Moscow maintains control over parts of Ukraine, including land in Kharkov, Sumy, and Dnepropetrovsk Regions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Silence or secrecy? What Putin and Trump didn't say in Alaska
Although the conversation was cordial, no deal was sealed. That was the essence of the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The meeting on Friday appeared warm and friendly, at least judging by the footage. Yet instead of agreements came a perfunctory press conference, a cancelled lunch, and little clarity about what was actually achieved. Neither participants nor 'insiders' have disclosed specifics. What is known is that Putin and Trump agreed on most parameters of a peace deal – with a few unnamed sticking points. A preliminary truce may have been discussed. Territorial exchanges were not. The Americans still hope to pull Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky into the process with a trilateral summit. But no dates have been set. Nor was a follow-up meeting between Putin and Trump confirmed. By asking 'next time in Moscow?' Putin drew a smile, but Trump dodged, noting only that he would face heavy criticism if he went. The near total absence of detail can be read two ways. Perhaps nothing was really agreed. The agenda, slimmed down from the start, might suggest that. Or, just as plausibly, the Kremlin and White House have reached an understanding but are keeping it tightly under wraps to prevent third parties from sabotaging the process. Either way, the outcome satisfied both leaders. Trump can now indefinitely postpone a disastrous trade war with India and China, which secondary sanctions on Russia would have triggered. Putin, meanwhile, drove home the point that a temporary ceasefire is insufficient – that the time has come to talk about a full peace treaty. Trump's comments after the summit suggest Washington has quietly accepted this Russian framing. This marks a departure from the Ukrainian-Western European line of 'first truce, then peace.' His 'difficult' conversations with European leaders, following his 'good' talk with Putin, show clearly who lost this round: Kiev and Brussels. The next move lies with Zelensky. If, in Anchorage, Putin and Trump agreed on the core terms of a deal, then the unresolved points are those that Kiev and the Western Europeans resist most fiercely – above all, territorial issues. Trump's task now is to bring them into line. On Monday, Zelensky travels to Washington to meet Trump. From there, two paths are possible. First, Zelensky could dig in. Without Western European backing he might panic, refuse the terms, and repeat his February 28 clash with Trump. That would sharply sour US-Ukrainian relations and could even lead Washington to abandon the conflict entirely. The second, more likely scenario is delay. Zelensky will float an 'alternative plan,' most likely insisting on a three-way summit with Trump and Putin, claiming that only heads of state can make such decisions. His calculation is simple: Moscow refuses to speak directly to Kiev until there is already a US-Russian framework. How Trump reacts will determine the pace. He has leverage over both Kiev and Brussels. If he wants to end the war swiftly, he must use it. If not, the talks will stall yet again, with only a catastrophic battlefield collapse by Ukraine forcing change. If a trilateral meeting ever does occur, Minsk would be the logical venue. Alexander Lukashenko has already extended an invitation to Trump. Both Putin and Zelensky could reach the Belarusian capital easily. For the Kremlin, such a summit would serve one purpose: to corner Zelensky collectively and force him to accept what has already been decided. But for now, this remains speculation. So the Alaska summit ended without a treaty, without even a date for another meeting. But it also ended without acrimony, without confrontation, and with both leaders claiming satisfaction. That alone marks it as significant. For Trump, it meant relief from an impending trade war and a step toward reshaping Washington's approach to Russia. For Putin, it signaled that the US president is willing to bypass Western Europe and move directly to the question of peace. As ever, the decisive variable is Zelensky. Trump has placed the future of negotiations in his hands. But Zelensky, boxed in by Western European partners and by his own political survival, may prefer to stall. If he resists, US-Ukrainian ties will suffer. If he hesitates, Washington may move on without him. Either way, the Alaska summit was not an end, but a beginning – the first act in what promises to be a long and unpredictable diplomatic article was first published by the online newspaper and was translated and edited by the RT team
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
EU leaders to join Zelensky in US after Trump ‘thwarted' their plans
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky will arrive in Washington on Monday for talks with US President Donald Trump, accompanied by EU top brass, German outlet Bild has reported. Joining Zelensky will be German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the tabloid wrote on Sunday. The trip follows Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, resolving the Ukraine conflict topping the agenda. Following the summit, Trump signaled that he now favors a full peace settlement over a ceasefire, and that he may be open to a recognition of Russia's new territories, consistent with Moscow's position. Trump's shift has 'thwarted' the EU's plans for Ukraine, Bild stated on Sunday. EU leaders have insisted that a ceasefire come first, and have rejected territorial concessions, as has Zelensky. Following the summit, Macron said the goal of the talks in Washington was to 'present a united front' between Ukraine and the EU, and warned against showing 'weakness' towards Russia. Merz said the EU would continue to support Kiev, and that any negotiations needed to begin with a ceasefire. Von der Leyen rejected any notion that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia and threatened more sanctions on Moscow. Stubb is going to Washington to 'help prevent any flare-ups between Trump and Zelensky and convince the US president to include Europe in any further talks,' Politico reported earlier. Zelensky's previous visit to Washington ended in a heated exchange between the Ukrainian and Trump. Ukraine's backers in the EU are 'in a panic' following the Alaska summit, Russian economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who was part of Moscow's delegation, has said. Putin reiterated on Saturday that any settlement of the Ukraine conflict should eliminate its root causes. Moscow insists that for lasting peace to be achieved, Ukraine should renounce its NATO ambitions, demilitarize, and recognize the current realities on the ground.
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
Woman killed in Ukrainian drone raid – Kursk governor (VIDEO)
A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Kursk has killed a 45-year-old woman and left 12 people injured, acting governor Aleksandr Khinshtein has said. In a statement on Friday, Khinshtein said the overnight attack – which he described as 'an inhuman crime by Ukrainian Nazis' – hit an apartment block, which sustained 'serious damage.' He added that a fire had broken out on the four upper floors, which has since been extinguished, and that the blast wave had shattered windows in nearby buildings and a school. According to Khinshtein, the casualties included a 15-year-old. Nine people were hospitalized and three are receiving outpatient treatment, he added. The building's residents have been temporarily relocated to a nearby school, Khinshtein said, noting that authorities will provide them with sleeping accommodation, essential supplies, and food. Experts will assess the extent of damage to the building and whether it can be repaired, he said. Footage circulating on social media showed a large blaze in the yard near the building, with several cars on fire. A fire was also visible on the upper floors of the structure. Later videos from the scene depicted balconies and exterior walls badly damaged, and nearby streets littered with debris from the blast. Officials in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don also reported a Ukrainian drone strikes on apartment buildings, which injured at least 15 people, including two children. Ukraine routinely launches drone attacks deep into Russia, which often target residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. Border areas, including Kursk Region, have been particularly heavily impacted by drone raids and artillery shelling.
