Kathrine Frich
Moscow now claims the American government cannot act as an impartial partner.
High-stakes summits usually end with handshakes and optimistic promises.
But when the initial excitement fades, leaders are often left wondering what actually happened behind closed doors.
Now, a massive dispute is brewing. Experts wonder if a critical superpower meeting was just a clever trap.
A deceptive trap
Russian officials are openly questioning a historic meeting between their leader and the American president. They fear the talks were a total trick. By their logic, the summit simply bought time for the enemy.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed these bitter concerns during a recent briefing. He suggested that Washington used the summit to deceive Moscow while quietly boosting Ukrainian defenses.
“I don’t even want to suspect that the Alaska meeting, like the European actions, was designed to gain time for the rearmament of the Kiev regime, I don’t even want to think about it. But in reality, things turned out the way they did,” Lavrov said, according to the Interfax news agency cited by Digi24.
The controversial meeting took place in Anchorage in August 2025. It marked a major milestone. It was the first time the Russian president visited the United States in a decade.
Broken promises
Despite early hopes for a breakthrough, relations quickly fell apart. Moscow now claims the American government cannot act as an impartial partner.
Instead of seeing relief from economic penalties, the Kremlin faces a wave of fresh restrictions. Lavrov complained bitterly. The US administration keeps stacking new measures on top of old ones.
“In addition to the extension of all sanctions imposed by the Biden administration, a considerable package of sanctions by the Trump administration against Russia has already been adopted. The statement of the President of the United States, made immediately after Anchorage, that Ukraine needs a long-term peace, not a two-year truce, and that Alaska laid the foundation for a move in this direction, has been forgotten,” Lavrov stated, as reported by Digi24.
Shifting battlefields
Initial reports suggested that the American leader heavily doubted Ukraine’s strength on the battlefield. At the time, he claimed that Kyiv lacked real leverage. Things look different now.
The battlefield situation changed dramatically over the last year. Western diplomats told Bloomberg that the White House completely revised its view of the entire conflict.
Leaders across the G7 believe that Russia cannot secure a victory. Allies agree that Kyiv is growing stronger, leaving Moscow stuck with broken promises.
Sources: Interfax, Bloomberg, Digi24
