Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Moscow had allegedly reached a verbal agreement with the US on ending the war against Ukraine during talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Anchorage. The Russian minister described this approach as a «buddy-style» agreement, although following the summit the parties announced neither a peace deal nor a ceasefire.
Briefly about the main points
- Lavrov described the style of Russian diplomacy as «like a lad’s».
- He claimed that there was an alleged verbal agreement between Moscow and Washington.
- Russia cites the talks between Putin and Trump in Anchorage.
- The text of the US proposals and the agreed points have not been made public.
- Ukraine rejects the Russian Federation’s demand to hand over the whole of Donbas.
Lavrov linked his statement to the US proposals
The statement was made on 28 August in an interview with the Russian news agency RBC. When asked about contacts with Washington, Lavrov said that Russia is used to doing things «in a noble way» or «in a rough-and-ready way», describing these concepts as identical.
He applied this phrase to attempts to negotiate an end to the war against Ukraine. According to the Russian minister, Moscow had agreed to the American proposal for a settlement and regarded this as a political understanding having been reached.
The Russian version of the Anchorage summit
Meeting Vladimir Putin і Donald Trump took place on 15 August 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Lavrov claims that prior to the summit, the US Special Representative Steve Witkoff He conveyed the proposals to Moscow, and during their conversation Putin allegedly went through them point by point with Trump and confirmed Russia’s willingness to accept the plan.
The details of these proposals have not been made public, nor has the list of points that Moscow describes as having been agreed upon. Reuters reported that the meeting, which lasted almost three hours, ended without an agreement on a ceasefire, although both sides described the talks as productive.
Moscow accuses Kyiv and Europe of causing a shift in the US position
According to Lavrov, following the talks in Washington, there was a shift away from the previous approach. He blamed the President of Ukraine for this Vladimir Zelensky and European leaders who, he claimed, had been trying to persuade Trump to change his stance.
The Russian minister also said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently spoke of seeking «new approaches». At the same time, Lavrov acknowledged the complexity of the Donbas issue: Moscow is demanding that the entire region be handed over to it, including areas it does not control. Ukraine rejects these demands.
The new proposals have not brought the fighting to a halt
As at the end of August 2026, US diplomatic efforts had not led to end of war. Russia says it is prepared to consider new approaches, but at the same time, according to Lavrov, it intends to continue «working on the ground».
According to Reuters, Ukraine, together with the US and its European partners, has drawn up new proposals for a possible settlement. These proposals address, in particular, the role of the EU and NATO and possible steps to be taken by Kyiv, whilst Moscow insists that its so-called «realities on the ground» – relating to its territorial claims – be taken into account.
