Russia says it accepted US compromise proposals at Anchorage talks

Russia agreed to compromise proposals put forward by the United States during talks in Anchorage last year, and alternative interpretations of those discussions are “inappropriate,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov cited remarks by President Vladimir Putin regarding the July 15 meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. “President [Russia’s Vladimir] Putin very clearly said that we, unlike some of our interlocutors, respect agreements. He recalled that in Anchorage, Alaska, on July 15 last year, compromise proposals were made to us. And not immediately, after thinking it over, but we agreed to them. All other interpretations — what was there, what was not there — I consider inappropriate,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov added that during the discussions, the Russian side “was told that Zelenskyy would follow U.S. recommendations.” He pointed to upcoming diplomatic engagements, saying: “Well, we will see how the meeting that will take place at the NATO summit in Ankara ends.”

His comments came ahead of the NATO summit, which began on July 7 in Ankara, Türkiye, where the Ukraine conflict is expected to feature prominently. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously said he believes both Moscow and Kyiv are open to a settlement, noting that the issue would be addressed during the gathering.

Lavrov also criticised Western governments’ stance on their involvement in the conflict, rejecting assertions that they are not directly engaged. “Direct support with weapons, intelligence data, satellite assistance, provision of data necessary for targeting, for programming lethal weapons used to shell Russian civilians and civilian objects — all of this is done, of course, and it has long been said, with the direct participation of European and American servicemen,” he said.

Separately, the Russian foreign minister argued that Western policies aimed at increasing military support, including the arming of Ukraine, would ultimately prove unsuccessful, stating that such efforts would end in defeat in what he described as a “race for their own superiority.”

By Tamilla Hasanova