Moscow says it has "strong arguments" ahead of Putin–Trump meeting in Anchorage

Russia will present its well-defined position during the upcoming Russian-American summit in Alaska, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, noting that substantial preparatory work had already been carried out during visits to Moscow by US Special Envoy Steven Witkoff.

“We are not making any predictions. We know that we have arguments and a clear and understandable position. We will present them,” Lavrov told Russian media.

He stressed that Witkoff’s visits had already laid important groundwork for the discussions. “The president has already spoken about this. Witkoff spoke on behalf of President Trump. We hope that tomorrow we will continue this very useful conversation,” the minister added.

Lavrov, accompanied by Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev, arrived in Alaska to take part in the summit.

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump is scheduled for Friday, August 15, at Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. The agenda will be dominated by efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

The Russian delegation includes Ushakov, Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, and Lavrov.

Ushakov said on August 14 that the summit will open at 11:30 a.m. Alaska time (7:30 p.m. GMT) with a one-on-one conversation between the two leaders, attended only by interpreters. The talks will be followed by a press conference.

While the Ukrainian crisis will be the central topic, Putin and Trump are also expected to address “broader tasks for ensuring peace and security” as well as other pressing international and regional issues.

By Tamilla Hasanova