Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has publicly accused the United States of deviating from a previously agreed-upon Ukraine deal from the Alaska summit held in August 2025. This agreement, according to Lavrov, included proposals initiated by the US but were never made public. He expressed his views during an interview with Russian media at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday.
Lavrov’s Accusations Against the US
During the SPIEF interview, Lavrov addressed concerns regarding US negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. He defended their roles despite criticisms suggesting they have been responsible for several conflicts involving the US. Lavrov maintained that these negotiators’ involvement did not pose an issue.
According to Lavrov, one year after the Alaska summit, which will be marked on August 15, no progress has been made regarding the proposals related to Ukraine. He shared that the Russian side had accepted these proposals, yet the US had failed to encourage Ukraine to do the same.
The Alaska Summit Details
- The Alaska summit occurred in August 2025.
- It featured discussions between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Lavrov claimed that Russia affirmed the US proposals after due consideration.
- Notably, some proposals were never released to the public.
Lavrov noted that the US officials had touted potential business opportunities contingent upon resolving the Ukraine situation. However, he criticized their lack of enforcement regarding the agreed terms, indicating that the resolution to the Ukrainian conflict should be treated as already settled from Russia’s standpoint.
US Pressure and Ukraine Deal Dynamics
Lavrov expressed skepticism about the US acting as a fair mediator in the Ukraine conflict. Despite having accepted US mediation, he argued there has been no considerable pressure applied to Ukraine. The most recent efforts from the US focused on a controversial 28-point deal proposed by Kirill Dmitriev, an advisor to Putin, in November 2025.
This deal, which Trump urged Kyiv to accept within a week, significantly failed to progress as it lacked Ukraine’s participation, eventually reducing to a 20-point outline with little impact.
Revisions to Moscow’s Demands
- Core demands from Moscow include territorial control over southeastern Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
- Russia currently dominates most of Luhansk but has struggled to control Donetsk.
- Moscow also seeks assurances against Ukraine’s NATO membership.
The demands from Russia have evolved over time, but key issues remain. A ban on Ukraine’s entrance into NATO has been a recurring theme in negotiations. This stance was publicly supported by Trump, who deemed Ukraine’s NATO ambitions unrealistic.
Furthermore, other contentious areas for negotiation include the recognition of Crimea, military limitations on Ukraine, and vague terms intending for Ukraine’s “denazification,” which have received diminished focus as the conflict endures.
For continued updates on the situation and evolving negotiations, readers are encouraged to follow El-Balad.
