Russia accuses US of breaking Alaska summit understandings as Ukraine strikes intensify

Russia has accused the United States of failing to honour understandings reached between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump during their Alaska summit last year.

Washington has not fulfilled its commitments from the meeting, though they have not provided specific details about the alleged breaches, Reuters reported citing three senior Russian officials.

The accusations come amid a rise in Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russian territory including strikes last week that targeted an oil refinery near Moscow. They also follow the Group of Seven summit, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Western leaders, including Trump, that Kyiv was gaining momentum on the battlefield.

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Moscow has rejected that assessment and continued its own military campaign against Ukraine.

‘Spirit of Alaska’ has been undermined

Since Trump began efforts to end the war in Ukraine last year, the Kremlin had repeatedly praised his diplomatic initiative, often portraying him as a potential mediator.

Following the Alaska summit, Russian officials frequently referred to the “spirit of Anchorage”, a phrase analysts say reflected Moscow’s belief that Trump understood Russia’s position, particularly its demand for control over the entire Donbas region in exchange for freezing the front lines elsewhere.

The United States has not publicly disclosed the details of any agreements reached during the summit, while several Western allies questioned whether the meeting produced any concrete progress.

A month after the summit, Trump appeared to shift his position, suggesting that Ukraine could potentially reclaim all territory seized by Russia. The change was followed by signs of disappointment from Moscow.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was the first senior Russian official to raise concerns, saying only one side had remained committed to the understandings reached in Alaska.

“While the other side, as it now appears, has not been fully able to do its part,” Ushakov said on Sunday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later suggested that the summit may have been used by Washington as a way to delay while strengthening Ukraine’s military position.

Lavrov’s deputy Sergei Ryabkov also accused the US of moving away from what he described as the “fundamental understandings” reached in Alaska. However, he said Moscow remained open to continuing dialogue with Washington.

Ryabkov also criticised what he called Washington’s growing alignment with European allies, particularly Britain and France, whose policies toward Russia Moscow views as hostile.

Ukraine strikes and stalled diplomacy fuel Kremlin concerns

Analysts said the Kremlin’s tougher rhetoric reflects concerns over the current state of the war and the lack of progress in diplomacy.

Gerhard Mangott, an Austrian analyst and long-time observer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Moscow was facing a difficult situation due to pressure on its economy and military position following increased Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.

He said Putin may need to demonstrate a response to domestic audiences and show that Russia still has options.

“Putin needs to give a response that is visible to the population and that demonstrates that he still has cards to play,” Mangott said, predicting possible further escalation and renewed efforts by Moscow to bring Trump back into the diplomatic process.

Putin on Tuesday accused “the entire West” of supporting Ukraine following recent drone attacks.

Oleg Ignatov of the International Crisis Group said Russia was also frustrated by the decline in US diplomatic engagement since Washington shifted attention toward the Iran conflict earlier this year.

Moscow has rejected European mediation efforts, arguing that European countries have supported Ukraine and are unlikely to encourage Kyiv to make the concessions Russia seeks.

Ignatov said Russia wants Washington to return to negotiations and help create a diplomatic framework that could end the war on terms acceptable to Moscow.

“There’s no structured diplomatic process, there’s no deal on the table, there’s actually nothing,” Ignatov said, adding that Russian officials were disappointed by the lack of active US involvement.

With inputs from agencies