Two months after a seemingly warm handshake between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska signaled the start of a potential thaw in U.S.-Russia relations, optimism in Moscow appears to be fading.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov admitted this week that little progress has been made on the key goals of the Anchorage summit securing a Ukraine peace deal favorable to Moscow and rebuilding trust with Washington. “We have a certain edifice of relations that has cracked and is collapsing,” Ryabkov warned.
While Putin remains more cautious in tone, suggesting that “complex issues require further study,” the Russian president continues to express hope that the spirit of the Alaska discussions can be preserved. Kremlin aides hinted that Russia had even agreed to unspecified concessions if Trump could secure reciprocal steps from Ukraine and European allies.
However, Trump’s growing frustration over stalled peace efforts in Ukraine has shifted the mood in Washington. His remarks suggesting possible U.S. supplies of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv angered Moscow, with Putin warning such a move would “destroy what is left” of U.S.-Russia ties.
In a mix of flattery and threat, Moscow has alternated between praising Trump’s peace efforts and warning against further military involvement. Putin recently praised the “core MAGA movement” for its traditional values and even backed Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Yet, Russian officials have also vowed to retaliate if the U.S. supplies advanced weaponry to Ukraine.
With no new Trump-Putin meeting scheduled and Washington yet to appoint a new ambassador to Moscow, hopes of reviving the so-called “spirit of Alaska” are fading fast replaced by a cautious blend of rhetoric, warnings, and disappointment.
