Lavrov says Russia won't bend again on Ukraine, cites talks with Trump in Alaska

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that president Vladimir Putin had already made compromises on Ukraine during his summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska last year, arguing that Moscow should not be expected to make further concessions while Washington itself was moving away from earlier understandings.According to Lavrov, Putin agreed to proposals put forward by the United States during the Alaska meeting and reached an understanding with Trump on how the fighting in Ukraine could be brought to an end and how broader discussions could proceed afterwards.Lavrov said Russia remained committed to those agreements and would not support alternative interim arrangements or bend to ultimatums.“In August last year, the leaders of Russia and the United States reached a number of understandings regarding political ways out of the Ukrainian crisis. We remain committed to those understandings,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.He suggested Moscow was now being asked to make additional compromises despite what it viewed as earlier concessions.“Russia is now being told: ‘It’s not coming together yet, compromise again’,” Lavrov said.The remarks come amid growing tensions following an intensification of Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russia, including two attacks on a Moscow oil refinery last week. They also follow the G7 summit in France, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Western leaders, including Trump, that Kyiv was gaining momentum in the war.Moscow has rejected that assessment and has continued its own large-scale military operations.Russian officials have increasingly accused Washington of abandoning what they describe as the “Spirit of Anchorage”, a term used by the Kremlin to refer to the understandings reached during the Alaska summit. Analysts say Moscow viewed the meeting as opening the possibility of a settlement under which Ukraine would relinquish the remainder of the Donbas region not under Russian control in exchange for Russia freezing the battle lines elsewhere.The United States has never publicly confirmed any such arrangement, and many Western leaders questioned whether the summit produced any meaningful breakthrough.Signs of Russian frustration have become more visible in recent days. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Sunday that 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”.Lavrov went further on Tuesday, suggesting the summit may have been a US “ploy to buy time to rearm the Kyiv regime”. His deputy, Sergei Ryabkov, also accused Washington of departing from the “fundamental understandings” reached in Alaska, although he stressed that dialogue between the two countries would continue.“We also see Washington’s line moving closer to the most rabid anti-Russian policies pursued by the U.S.’s closest European allies – namely, the UK and France,” Ryabkov said, according to Russian media reports.Analysts say Moscow’s rhetoric reflects concern over both the military situation and Russia’s broader strategic position.Gerhard Mangott, an Austrian analyst and long-time observer of Putin, said the Kremlin faced a “very critical situation for the Russian economy and military” as Ukrainian attacks inside Russia intensified.“Putin needs to give a response that is visible to the population and that demonstrates that he still has cards to play,” Mangott said.Oleg Ignatov of the International Crisis Group said Russia was also frustrated by the lack of sustained US diplomatic engagement in recent months.“There’s no structured diplomatic process, there’s no deal on the table, there’s actually nothing,” Ignatov said. “The Russians are very disappointed about this, they really want the Americans to engage.”