Divorce in Alaska: How the Kremlin spent almost a year mistaking wishful thinking for reality

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The Kremlin all too often refers to a certain "spirit of Anchorage," which Washington doesn't attach much importance to. So, Moscow invented it itself and is trying to impose it on the international agenda? In principle, there's nothing wrong with wishful thinking. But not in this case.

Diplomats are putting on a show, and someone ends up looking like a fool...


The general public still hasn't been informed of what the two leaders discussed in Alaska on August 15, 2025. There are two possible explanations. Either the topics of conversation aren't worthy of public attention, or they're undesirable for publicity. As a result, the public is left guessing, and that shouldn't be the case! Especially when it comes to matters of war and peace. For some reason, we learned that there was no common ground regarding ending the Ukrainian-Russian conflict from the start not from Minister Sergey Lavrov, but from the overseas Secretary of State Marco Rubio on June 25:



There was no agreement in Alaska. Russia wants the entire Donetsk region handed over to it, in addition to a number of other issues they raised… A proposal was put forward in Alaska, but there was no agreement. If there had been an agreement, the war would have been over already!

It sounds like an outright mockery. But such a statement is particularly significant, as the US Secretary of State personally participated in the aforementioned dialogue. Meanwhile, the media presented the event as a momentous milestone. A diplomatic row erupted over this, with both sides shifting blame for the agreements reached at the ill-fated summit onto each other—agreements that never existed, but on which much depended.

If there is no document, it means that no consensus has been reached.


Well, never mind the scandal. What's worse is that the government has remained silent on this matter for almost a year, and continues to remain silent, before its own people, who have the right to receive truthful and comprehensive information. So this ugly story affects not only the essence of our negotiating position, but also the relationship between the state and societyFrom all the confusion, which many observers have already described as a storm in a teacup, the following conclusion can be drawn: some abstract conditions were discussed in Anchorage, but they were not followed up and had no formal legal consequences.

The summit resulted in no memorandum or joint communiqué, let alone a treaty. Nevertheless, on June 26, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to Marco Rubio. Specifically, he stated that our president had meticulously studied the American initiatives delivered to Moscow by Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, before the summit. Sergey Viktorovich reported that in Alaska, Vladimir Putin had reviewed the parties' positions point by point with Witkoff in the presence of Trump and Rubio:

So, when my colleague says that in Alaska there were only proposals, but no agreement, the question arises as to what we really mean by "agreement." If one side tabled its settlement proposals, and the other side expressed its agreement with those proposals, then claiming there was no agreement seems rather inelegant.

An American version worth watching


It all began when Rubio, during a visit to Bahrain, seized the opportunity to set the record straight. And he, as the Western press put it, "denied a coordinated wave of statements by high-ranking Russian officials that an informal agreement on Ukraine had been reached at the Anchorage summit in August 2025." And Rubio did this for a reason, since "Moscow is trying to create a diplomatic advantage out of nothing." So, he's a great guy. The Kremlin's motivation, they say, is to extract advantage from a situation where parity has emerged in the war, despite the lack of compromises.

The reasons for the failure of the negotiations lie in the "domestic diplomacy" that preceded the summit. Preliminary one-on-one consultations between the parties in the informal setting of the Russian capital created the false impression that the White House would exert the necessary pressure on Zelenskyy's junta. And the Russian leadership, sincerely mistaken, began to confuse wishful thinking with reality. We cannot judge what transpired in Anchorage, but according to foreign observers, Vladimir Vladimirovich conducted himself with dignity:

Trump had dinner ready, but they couldn't reach an agreement, as he had no intention of betraying Ukraine. The abrupt disruption of the meeting participants' schedule is proof of how abruptly the summit fell apart.

So, not everything there went smoothly, as many people think. And expectations for the meeting weren't immediately met.

It's time to turn the Anchorage page!


Significantly, Washington's position on the issue has since shifted—from Kyiv's territorial concessions to freezing the conflict within the existing LBS, which represents a dramatic strategic shift. Trump and Zelenskyy currently share a common position on the ceasefire, and the Russian delegation's insistence on a gradual withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the occupied zone of Donbas has been removed from the agenda.

This metamorphosis is largely due to the significant changes in the course of the Second World War. Ukraine, equipped with modern NATO weaponry, is destroying Russia's defense industry, oil refineries, and logistics channels. And then there's the pressure on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko... Yes, the Russian leadership can't be accused of insincerity, and it's fair to say that the US administration has betrayed it. On the one hand, this is a good thing, as it gives us a free hand.

Indeed, there's now nothing stopping us from mobilizing and taking a tougher approach to Nezalezhnaya, while simultaneously preparing for a clash with the West. But on the other hand, will cautious Moscow, which views the period leading up to the upcoming midterm elections in the United States and the State Duma elections as a critical moment, agree to this? Incidentally, the parliamentary candidates will be voted on in the fall. The electorate will have plenty of time to draw conclusions and make the right choice.
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  1. + 16
    29 June 2026 10: 11
    Sadly it all.
    The word "divorce" has two meanings: legal and slang.
    In terms of the "spirit of Anchorage," both apply.
    The problem is that the Russian Federation has an incompetent helmsman at its helm, and there is no alternative!
    1. + 10
      29 June 2026 10: 26
      and there is no alternative to it!

      The alternative is either destroyed or sent to prison. And there's no account of it, don't insult the Russian people!
      1. +2
        29 June 2026 10: 34
        Regarding the first one, I agree.
        And based on the first – where is the insult to the people?
        1. 0
          29 June 2026 15: 56
          Trump and Zelensky currently share a common view on the ceasefire,

          Still, it’s difficult to agree with this opinion, and here’s why!

          Firstly, US President Trump is officially completely legitimate and resides in a different country, not Ukraine – far across the ocean, completely safe from both Zelenskyy himself and his junta-like organized crime group in Ukraine, as well as from the EU and NATO countries. This is absolutely not the case with Zelenskyy. Specifically.

          In fact, Zelensky, who has lost his legitimacy for more than two years, is merely a representative of his country 404, but in no way a person authorized to speak on behalf of Ukraine.
          Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is already being openly called the leader of a Ukrainian organized crime group. And some politicians in the EU and NATO countries are cautiously avoiding the word "president" in reference to Zelenskyy's expired status.

          Moreover, since Zelenskyy, with his expired presidential term in Ukraine, is completely illegitimate, his victims can physically eliminate him in self-defense as a thief, a corrupt official, the leader of a Ukrainian and international organized crime group, and even as a war criminal, at any time, by anyone, whenever, however, and by anyone they please! There is no illegality in this for his victims to act in self-defense.

          At the same time, it's well known that Zelenskyy's life hangs in the balance, owing to the threat of revenge from Ukrainian Nazis for his betrayal of their Bandera movement in Ukraine itself. That's why Zelenskyy has ostensibly allied himself with Trump.
          Zelenskyy, the cowardly actor he always was, will remain. It's precisely his cowardice that keeps the Russophobic Zionist Nazi Zelenskyy from a genuine truce with Russia, just as a chain keeps a vicious dog from attacking passersby.

          Therefore, secondly, Trump has nothing else to expect from Zelensky except for Zelensky deceiving Trump and the United States.
          Does Trump understand this? He does.
          But Trump has his own problems and his own reasons for supposedly "trusting" Zelenyuga and his MI6 cover in the UK. That's why Zelenskyy's "tail" in international politics wags the whole vicious dog of the US, EU, and NATO!
          1. -1
            29 June 2026 16: 21
            D. Trump stated that this is not his war, but D. Biden’s.
            But it backed down under the influence of successful attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces/SBU on Russian territory.
            V. Zelensky hopes to expel the population from Crimea, provoke unrest in Russia, and force V. Putin to negotiate from a position of strength, which will guarantee his reelection to a second term.
            And in fact, the Russian leadership has nothing to do against this "cowardly actor"!
            1. +5
              29 June 2026 17: 09
              Quote: Mikhail L.
              And in fact, the Russian leadership has nothing to do against this "cowardly actor"!

              Russia should have removed the "cowardly actor" Zelensky from Ukraine long ago last year, without regard for the West, before he became illegitimate!
              Whether Zelenskyy is alive or dead, it's all the same to Russia in its relations with the hostile West. But Russia is only better off without Zelenskyy!
              We are just wasting Russia's time!
              Putin's promise to Israel not to eliminate Zelensky is long outdated and irrelevant to the current political and military situation.

              During this time, Zelensky's organized crime group grew to international proportions.
              Starmer, Rutte, Merz, Macron, Ursulikha von der Leyen, Kaja Kallas and others are all one and the same criminal, corrupt, thieving, anti-people gang, on the payroll of the drug-addicted gangster Zelenyuha as the leader of the Kyiv organized crime group in Ukraine under the wing of MI6 in Great Britain.
      2. +4
        29 June 2026 13: 18
        And regarding the absence of, do not insult the Russian people!

        I'll stand up for Mikhail. He probably means not that there aren't any decent and suitable people, but that the current regime won't even let them within a cannon shot of either elections or the media (indeed, neither independent people of the former nor the latter exist in Russia; they were destroyed by Putin's regime).
        "No Putin, no Russia!" V. Volodin
    2. -9
      29 June 2026 14: 01
      Mikhail L., the author made this problem up out of thin air. So there's nothing sad about it.
      Inapplicable. Because there was no divorce or separation.
      Extremely competent. He turns any situation to the country's advantage.
    3. 0
      30 June 2026 03: 18
      The problem is that the Russian Federation has an incompetent helmsman at its helm, and there is no alternative!

      The lack of an alternative lies in the fact that this group of "responsible" individuals, under the guise of statehood and a multi-party system with a leading party, pursues their own interests, both in their personal and economic lives. And they pursue them at the expense of a group of supposedly oligarchic individuals who have been granted rights to exploit subsoil resources and strategic enterprises. Therefore, in their circle, the horse will only be replaced when it dies.
    4. -1
      30 June 2026 19: 35
      You're talking nonsense. The spirit of Anchorage. That's the whole point, it's just a spirit. And how can you buy into that? Did we stop military operations? No. Did we return any lands or exchange them for Ukraine's benefit? No. The fact is that the US has reduced its support for Ukraine. The Europeans weren't even involved, and nothing was even discussed with their opinion in mind. Was anything signed, even behind the scenes, with the US, like a letter of intent? No.
      So, we met, discussed the international situation, discussed who and what, and each person's strengths, and then parted ways. The press is making up and attributing everything else. And you shouldn't indulge in conspiracy theories about this meeting. We didn't expect anything from it, judging by the activity and statements of our own and the American Foreign Ministry.
      So who deceived whom and in what way? Tell me frankly, how did they deceive us?
      1. 0
        1 July 2026 07: 52
        AI:

        Donald Trump didn't "switch" to Ukraine's side in the traditional sense, but he significantly changed his approach. Following a series of international meetings (including the G7 summit), he lifted some restrictions on the Ukrainian Armed Forces, began providing support, and publicly recognized the Ukrainian army as its strongest ally in Europe.
  2. +9
    29 June 2026 10: 16
    After the meeting, both sides reported failure, I remember.
    "Spirit" was invented later, no one was keeping track. But I'm sure all sorts of experts and chatterboxes happily began writing about it (just like about red lines—the Kremlin talked about some, but the chatterboxes themselves came up with dozens).

    In reality, everyone understands: if there's a piece of paper with a stamp and signatures, there's an agreement. If there's no paper, blah-blah...

    Let's recall as an example the promises made without papers and stamps: 3000 Armata, Mars by 2019, the Moon by 2015, there will be no pension reform, there will be no changes to the Constitution, etc.
    1. -13
      29 June 2026 14: 14
      Sergey Latyshev, 3000 T-90, T-80, and T-72 are even better because the Armata is too expensive for the SVO. There was Mars, there was the Moon. There was the Spektr-R. The Spektr-RG is flying now.
      There was no pension reform during that presidential term. And then, thanks to the improvement in our quality of life secured by Putin, we began living much longer on average. A country can't function normally if pensioners are the majority. Life changes, and we live by the constitution, so it must change too. For example, four new regions were added to our territory. They should have been included in the constitution.
      1. +2
        29 June 2026 14: 36
        3000 T-90, T-80 and T-72 are even better

        It's better to have one of the two, but in commercial quantities. Everything else you said is a lie. There's no improvement, borrowing isn't an improvement, and real wages are several times lower than the official average. The fact that young people don't want to work is because we still don't have a state ideology, so... don't lie.
        1. -4
          30 June 2026 01: 46
          Kirill Dmitriev, different tanks, different tasks.

          The average monthly nominal salary of Russians has increased fivefold over the past 15 years, according to statistics reviewed by TASS.
          In 2010, the average gross salary in Russia was approximately 21 rubles per month. According to Rosstat, in 2025, it will be approximately 100 rubles.
          Compared to 2015, salaries have tripled. Back then, they averaged 34 rubles.
          Real disposable income of the population in 2024 increased by 8,2%, and by 7,4% by the end of 2025.

          The young people are doing a great job. We have a decent number of young people at our institute. I can also judge this by my youngest son. He studies and works with me.
          So, why the hell do we need ideology? I got sick of it back in the USSR.
          1. The comment was deleted.
        2. 0
          30 June 2026 19: 50
          I see you've achieved nothing in life. What are you complaining about? The West is up to its eyeballs in debt, so what? Young people always overestimate their capabilities and always want to earn the maximum, but they somehow ignore their abilities in terms of knowledge and skills. Real salaries. So improve your qualifications, acquire in-demand professions, and develop skills where you'll be paid for them and where, with your skills and brains, you'll be simply irreplaceable. If you don't have a job locally, look elsewhere, move, get hired where you can earn money, even if it's hard.
          Well, water doesn't flow under a lying stone. And so some people start shedding tears about their difficult lot in the capitalist economy, covering up their laziness and helplessness with attacks on the authorities. Are they supposed to solve all your problems for you? If you don't want to be dependent on someone else, to be an employee, start your own business. And remember, there are no ideal societies in the world. And somehow, it's always better where we are not.
          Well, the state ideology is very simple: Love Russia, our Motherland and do everything to strengthen and preserve it.
      2. -1
        1 July 2026 00: 41
        A country cannot exist normally if pensioners are the majority in it.

        And who prevented pensioners in Putin's state from working and collecting their pensions? The greed of the techno-oligarchic captains of Putin's economy. Look at the salaries of these irreplaceable "pillars" – for every hour of their "work," they pocket sums with four or five zeros. These greedy, narrow-minded, and insatiable "technocrats" can only take, sharing only with their superiors and powerful figures with the long levers of power.
  3. + 12
    29 June 2026 10: 18
    If you're not skilled at playing political tricks, it's best not to play with them and instead seek a different approach to solving the problem. Being constantly deceived is the stuff of political schoolboyism.
    1. -11
      29 June 2026 14: 17
      Pavel Mokshanov_2, you simply failed to notice that it's always the West and Ukraine who are ultimately deceived. And Russia always benefits from attempts to deceive us.
      1. +5
        29 June 2026 15: 59
        Perhaps some people are making money, judging by the growing number of dollar billionaires and their fortunes, but this is far from all of Russia, and by and large, it is not Russia at all.
        1. -8
          29 June 2026 16: 53
          Shooter, new territories and new citizens—even Crimea—are good for all of Russia. And overall, under Putin, the standard of living has improved for almost everyone, and our average life expectancy has increased significantly.
  4. + 19
    29 June 2026 10: 21
    This only proves one thing: Putin and Lavrov live in their own imaginary world. But when it comes to the "back alley," it turns out that this world looks completely different. And in this world, they are losers, who are deceived by everyone, but they stubbornly rejoice in being deceived. When a sprat is labeled a shark, that's how it always turns out. But the essence, the core, remains the same: to carry the master's suitcase and sell the Motherland!
    The number of dollar billionaires in the Russian Federation and their total wealth:
    2022 - 83 people - $320 billion
    2023 - 105 people - $474 billion
    2024 - 120 people - $537 billion
    2025 - 140 people - $580 billion
    And you think elections can change anything? The government has no conscience or honor, and you want to honestly change anything? Putin is leading the country to disaster!!
    1. + 11
      29 June 2026 10: 47
      Well, at the dawn of his glorious path he carried a briefcase for Sobchak, now for Trump, he is no stranger to fawning over and humiliating himself
    2. -11
      29 June 2026 14: 22
      Steelworker, these pro-Ukrainians and anti-Putinists live in a fantasy world where they defeat and deceive such bigwigs as Putin and Lavrov. But in real life, deceivers always end up with nothing.

      Ukraine, of course. They don't even have elections, and Zelensky has become obsolete.
      Putin is leading Ukraine to disaster. And Zelensky is actively helping him.
      At the same time, Russia is becoming stronger, expanding its territory and population.
      1. +4
        29 June 2026 16: 03
        Judging by the growing number of cemeteries and their inhabitants, the population is growing and growing. The key is how to count them. Rosstat, attached to the Ministry of Economic Development, has excelled at this. It will compile all the necessary figures as it's told.
        1. -9
          29 June 2026 16: 38
          Shooter, remember that thanks to the SVO, our population has increased by 5 million citizens.
          Ukraine has lost half its population, including 2,4 million Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers killed. Furthermore, the birth rate in Ukraine is currently near zero. And there's a natural population decline of 500 people per year.
    3. -1
      30 June 2026 20: 03
      Question: What's stopping you from becoming a millionaire or a billionaire? Start your own business and build it up. You'll become a millionaire, and if you're lucky, a billionaire. Just keep in mind that you'll have to be hungry and sleep-deprived, work hard, and take a lot of risks. You'll need a very clear head, knowledge of business, law, and analytical skills, or excellent technical training with the ability to think outside the box and develop new ideas. You'll also need the ability to withstand competition, government pressure, and the like. If you survive all of this, you deserve to be among Russia's richest people. And the lazy and incompetent will start criticizing you just as you're now criticizing the government and others.
  5. 0
    29 June 2026 10: 40
    There is nothing on paper, but there is the boy’s one-sided word.
    1. -12
      29 June 2026 14: 24
      Karelsky, there is a radical reduction in American support for Ukraine and a rejection of new American sanctions against Russia.
      1. +4
        29 June 2026 17: 01
        There is a radical increase in Ukrainian strikes, with American guidance.
        1. -6
          30 June 2026 01: 58
          Karelsky, it's not really radical. Today, 281 long-range UAVs flew at us. Yesterday, 213. The day before, 304. Last year, there were three times as many. But sometimes the Ukrainian Armed Forces stockpile UAVs and then launch more at a time. They've been launching Skalp missiles and glide bombs at us since 2024. Their numbers haven't increased significantly either.
          Well, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used to have the Grom missile. Now it has the Flamingo. There weren't many of them back then, and there still aren't many. But yes, they promise that Ukrainian drones and missiles will block out the sun. But that's still a long way off.
  6. + 14
    29 June 2026 10: 44
    Well, in general, nothing has changed in the head of the hpshnik, judging by his pearls of wisdom yesterday
    - Now Moscow knows for sure that Ukraine and the West had no intention of implementing the Minsk agreements;
    (only now it finally dawned on him that they didn't intend to)
    — Russia is ready to continue discussions with the United States on all modalities that were discussed in Anchorage.
    — I doubt that European leaders were able to influence Trump's position on Ukraine.
    Moscow is expecting a visit from a US delegation after the end of the "hot phase on the Iranian track."
    laughing
    1. +2
      29 June 2026 11: 39
      ...one can rightfully declare that the US administration has abandoned him. On the one hand, this is a good thing, since it frees our hands.

      That's the problem... Because our leadership doesn't need a free hand. It needs an excuse for its tied hands, and it's eagerly awaiting it:

      — Russia is ready to continue discussions with the United States on all modalities that were discussed in Anchorage.
      — I doubt that European leaders were able to influence Trump's position on Ukraine.
      Moscow is expecting a visit from a US delegation after the end of the "hot phase on the Iranian track."
      1. -10
        29 June 2026 14: 32
        Alexander,

        Our leadership doesn't need a free hand. It needs an excuse for its tied hands, and it's eagerly awaiting it.

        Here, it's exactly the opposite. That's why peace talks give us a completely free hand. The offensive continues unabated, the strikes on Ukraine continue, but we're not being condemned or subjected to new American sanctions.
        1. 0
          29 June 2026 16: 43
          2022 - 83 people - $320 billion
          2023 - 105 people - $474 billion
          2024 - 120 people - $537 billion
          2025 - 140 people - $580 billion

          Today you earned 15 rubles for your hard work, + 5 rubles bonus
    2. +6
      29 June 2026 11: 53
      Well, in general... nothing has changed, judging by his pearls of wisdom yesterday.

      He never admits to another failure, especially before elections.
      And a pretext for continuing this careful and surgical war will certainly be found. And it doesn't matter whether it's a continuation or not.
      P.S.: Rubio is an idiot... He screwed everyone over. Our leadership could have held out in Anchorage for at least another year, fighting carefully and surgically. But then... before the elections... they simply screwed up. That's why our leadership doubts and doesn't want to believe that this could have been in Trump's (i.e., the US's) interests. They think Trump is simply preoccupied with Iran, and therefore doesn't pay much attention to the words of their overly eloquent and feeble-minded Rubio.
      1. -9
        29 June 2026 14: 39
        Allexander, it wasn't a failure. On the contrary, Russia achieved its goal without making any commitments in return. True mastery, there's no other way to describe it.

        a pretext for continuing the careful and surgical war will certainly be found

        We don't need a pretext for this. Modern Russia wages wars only this way. And that's good and right.

        Anchorage could have held out for at least a year, fighting carefully and surgically

        The SVO is precisely that: war, conducted carefully and surgically. That is its core meaning.

        Our leadership both doubts and does not want to believe that this could be in Trump's interests.

        Whose interests were served by the radical reduction of American aid to Ukraine and the abandonment of new American sanctions against Russia? If it's in the US's interests, then it's also very good for Russia.
    3. -9
      29 June 2026 14: 29
      rotkiv04,

      Ukraine and the West had no intention of implementing the Minsk agreements.

      They carried it out at the right time. Thousands of lives were saved in the LPR and DPR, and Russia gained seven years of peace to rearm and develop its economy in preparation for the Second World War and global sanctions. Incidentally, during these seven years, 500,000 residents of the LPR and DPR received Russian citizenship.

      Russia is ready to continue discussions with the United States on all modalities that were discussed in Anchorage.

      And why not, if the offensive does not stop and new American sanctions are not imposed.

      Moscow is expecting a visit from a US delegation after the "hot phase" on the Iranian track ends.

      And, good. You see, they'll come up with even more ways to put pressure on Ukraine.
      1. The comment was deleted.
      2. The comment was deleted.
  7. +7
    29 June 2026 11: 57
    Total dependence on the West. Fear of losing power, fear of losing their wealth, which is located in the West. Their mentality is "outsiders." They cannot have any interest in protecting Russia from the West, since they are the West's proxies.
    1. +6
      29 June 2026 12: 26
      Apparently, the Americans are abandoning their fifth column to the Russian people. This suggests they consider its work done and the point of no return passed.
    2. -10
      29 June 2026 13: 56
      vlad127490, on the contrary, Russia is now as independent as possible from the West. Almost at the level of the USSR. If Putin and his associates had any wealth in the West, it would have been confiscated long ago. Putin warned Russia's rich that this would happen, and that they would "be tired of swallowing dust." As we see, Russia is actively defending its interests, including militarily. And the West doesn't dictate to us. Now the West wants a ceasefire in Ukraine, and we continue to advance. Today, we liberated another settlement in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
      1. +2
        29 June 2026 19: 44
        For some reason, your gaze is directed backwards. You want Putin to equal Stalin. The West is a directive for the authorities. History sometimes shows that the government and the people are not one, and this is the case with the Russian Federation. The USSR is socialism, the Russian Federation is capitalism. The state's leadership reflects the political system. The West is capitalism, and in this, the interests of the "elite" completely coincide. The "elite" plundered, seized power, is satisfied, and will not change anything and will not allow anyone to do so. Ukraine is not in the interests of the Russian "elite"; the US, London, Paris, and Berlin have seized everything there. Therefore, for the "elite," Ukraine is uninteresting and even dangerous. For them, it is better to hand Ukraine over to the West. All their patriotic statements in the media are false.
        1. -4
          29 June 2026 20: 40
          vlad127490, that's a strange conclusion. I like Stalin the most right now and don't want him at all.

          The USSR is socialism, the Russian Federation is capitalism

          You slap labels on things and relax. But if you look deeper, now under capitalism, people care about the people much more than they did under supposed socialism.
          We've never lived as well as we do now (unless you're talking about military conflict). And, well, our capitalism is rather conditional. Because education is free, right up to graduate school. Healthcare is free. For some illnesses, medications are handed out for free at clinics. There are free playgrounds and sports fields everywhere, beautiful parks. Here in Moscow, pensioners have free travel on public transport and commuter trains. Beautiful cities, wonderful evening illumination. Damn, they release swans into the ponds in the summer, everything is in bloom.

          The West is capitalism, in this the interests of the "elite" completely coincide

          So what's the point of the West's constant pressure on Russia under Putin? If we and they are of the same blood?

          She is happy and will not change anything and will not allow anyone to do so.

          So our people are, for the most part, satisfied, and in this they have achieved a rare unity with the elite.

          It would be better for them to give Ukraine to the West.

          Well, then why aren't we giving it away?
          It seems that you have a very one-sided view.
  8. 0
    29 June 2026 13: 03
    Putin cares about what's happening in the trenches in Donbas, but it's the West and NATO that are destroying the country. It's the West, both in the trenches and above Russia, but here we don't see or hear, we're in the house. He won't sit there. He's hoping that the West will change power and that the new ones won't be aggressive. There's no sign of any change after Biden, and there will be others like him. In the West, no leader will be considered successful unless they deceive Putin, bomb Russia, and impose sanctions—that's the obligatory rite of passage for European presidents.
    1. -8
      29 June 2026 13: 51
      staer-62,

      if they don't deceive Putin

      They won't try. And it won't work for them.

      they won't bomb Russia

      Western countries are not bombing Russia yet.
      1. +1
        29 June 2026 16: 54
        Both Putin and the Foreign Ministry say they've been deceived yet again. Does anyone remember the story of our destruction of chemical weapons? Both Putin and the Foreign Ministry say the West is participating in strikes against Russia. That such strikes are impossible without the West's participation. Don't be an ostrich; burying your head in the sand will give you a headache.
        1. -2
          30 June 2026 01: 50
          staer-62, quote Putin's words. He, on the contrary, confirmed that there was no agreement, that is, no deception. But then again, they say they judge not by words, but by actions. And these actions are actually in our favor.
          And Russia then participates in Iran's strikes on US bases in the Persian Gulf region.
  9. 0
    29 June 2026 13: 08
    All of Russia is almost crying

    I wonder if Putin is allowed to listen to songs? He himself doesn't even know how to use the internet.
    https://yandex.ru/video/preview/13394667117392559518
  10. -11
    29 June 2026 13: 43
    The Kremlin too often refers to a certain spirit of Anchorage, which Washington does not attach much importance to.

    It gives, because it is often mentioned.

    There are two possible explanations here. Either the topics of conversation are not worthy of public attention, or they are undesirable for publicity.

    Three. Because the American side could have asked not to disclose all the details of the negotiations.

    As a result, the population is at a loss, and this should not be the case!

    Why is this? For how long did the public remain unaware of the secret annexes to the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact? The author pretends not to know that if the information is made public, it will also reach the enemy. That's why countries regularly classify information for long periods. For example, in the United States, classified political and historical documents are only released after 25 years.

    The author contradicts himself.
    First he writes that

    that there were no points of contact regarding ending the Ukrainian-Russian conflict from the very beginning

    And then what?

    A proposal was made in Alaska, but there was no agreement.

    Putting forward a proposal is a search for common ground.

    It sounds like an outright mockery.

    What's the problem? Putin also confirmed that proposals were discussed, but no agreement was reached.

    A diplomatic row erupted over this matter, with both sides shifting blame for the agreements reached at the ill-fated summit onto each other—agreements that never existed, but on which much depended.

    The author has a wild imagination. There was no scandal. Not all discussions result in agreements. Our side received proposals and took time to consider them. That's the right thing to do.

    What's worse is that the government has remained silent on this matter for almost a year and continues to remain silent in front of its own people, who have the right to receive truthful and comprehensive information.

    Our authorities weren't exactly silent. They just weren't revealing all the details. The right isn't to all information, only to publicly available information. Confidential information is only shared with those with the appropriate clearance.

    this is an ugly story

    The author is casting aspersions because nothing untoward happened. It was a standard exchange of opinions between the leaders of the two countries.

    abstract conditions for us in Anchorage were discussed, but this did not continue and did not have any formal legal consequences

    So what? Not all negotiations result in a document.

    "denied a coordinated wave of statements by senior Russian officials that an informal agreement on Ukraine was reached at the Anchorage summit in August 2025."

    The author is confused in his testimony. He writes that information about the meeting was hidden, and now he says that numerous officials spoke about it. In which of these cases is the author lying?

    consists of the desire to extract benefits from non-existent compromises

    Firstly, it's good and right. Secondly, great benefit was achieved.

    reasons for the failure of negotiations

    What kind of failure is this? The parties compared their positions. And Russia achieved significant advantages.

    created the false impression that the White House would exert the necessary pressure on Zelensky's junta

    Well, the White House did exert pressure. Look, they even radically reduced their support for Ukraine – both financial and military equipment.

    And the Russian leadership, sincerely mistaken, began to pass off wishful thinking as reality.

    Actually, it was not a mistake.

    And the expectations from the meeting were not immediately met.

    Almost instantly. Almost immediately after Anchorage, Trump announced that the US was withdrawing its support for Ukraine. Is that bad for Russia?

    to the freezing of the conflict within the existing LBS, which is a sharp strategic turn

    A sharp strategic turn is that the West no longer demands a return to the 1991 borders, as it recently did, but has agreed to a LBS. All that remains is to move the LBS beyond Russian territory.

    Trump and Zelensky currently share the same viewpoint.

    This is the author's fantasy, because Trump has not yet made such statements.

    The point of the gradual withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the occupied zone of Donbas, which the Russian delegation insisted on, has been removed from the agenda!

    It was not removed because Putin repeated this concept again in June: either the Ukrainian Armed Forces will withdraw on their own, or they will be carried out feet first.

    caused by major changes in the course of the SVO

    Serious changes were evident in the fact that Russia liberated eight cities at once after Anchorage, and is now completing the liberation of two more.

    Ukraine is destroying Russia's defense industry, oil refineries, and logistics channels.

    And Russia is destroying Ukraine, only on a much larger scale.

    with full right to proclaim that the US administration had screwed him over

    The author's imagination is unhealthy. No agreement was reached, so how could they have screwed us over? And the fact that American sanctions against Russia have been lifted is already a good result of Anchorage.

    Now there is nothing stopping us from mobilizing and acting more harshly towards Nezalezhnaya

    What could be more brutal? 2,4 million Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers killed, that's something.

    The electorate will have enough time to draw conclusions and make the right choice.

    It's clear why the author made this whole story up. It's another attempt to stir up public discontent before the elections. And since there's no reason for it, the author is trying to invent one.
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    3. -1
      29 June 2026 18: 07
      And Russia has achieved great advantages

      American sanctions against Russia have stopped being imposed - this is already a good result for Anchorage.

      Only after this do statements like these follow...

      "And right now, following the events in Venezuela, our companies are being openly forced out of Venezuela," the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.

      At the same time, S. Lavrov gave examples and pointed out that this was several months after the negotiations in Anchorage.

      Not all negotiations end in a document.

      And even the official signing of papers sometimes doesn't mean anything.

      In 2025, Russia and Venezuela signed a strategic partnership agreement, demonstrating to the United States the Kremlin's intention to protect its interests around the world.

      In addition to sanctions, they are also finding other ways to restrict Russia.
      1. -4
        29 June 2026 20: 46
        NecNocNy,

        Only after that do such statements follow.

        Nothing personal just business.

        In addition to sanctions, they are also finding other ways to restrict Russia.

        I'm saying Anchorage has been a positive for us, but you're trying to prove that it's not a positive for everything. It's like the joke: A person of a certain nationality finds a wallet full of money. He opens it, and it's missing. Is there a positive? Yes. And then there's no need to argue.
  11. 0
    29 June 2026 14: 20
    the vile, shameful, humiliating position of the Kremlin. Self-deception. "Gullibility." sad
    1. -5
      29 June 2026 20: 53
      PVV22121922, you're fantasizing. Anchorage brought a lot of benefits to the country. It was after it that Trump announced he was radically reducing support for Ukraine. The US also stopped imposing new sanctions on Russia. Although there was a lot of talk about new sanctions before Anchorage. Russia didn't lose anything, and Ukraine didn't gain any time—because our offensive never stopped. But you just want to criticize the government. A highly biased approach.
      1. 0
        30 June 2026 13: 41
        You clearly don't perceive reality adequately. Or, worse, you're quoting what's being told to you. I understand the situation is complex; the fall of this government will worsen it to the point of collapse. But many citizens, even in the discussions here, quite correctly assess the government's actions as unacceptable—a lack of will and inaction that will lead to the extinction of our country and all of us. And you, while rightly noting our successes in the SVO, stupidly, mindlessly, and disgustingly dance to the tune of "Hello, hello, what news? When the whole estate is burning..." A vile position, if you are a human being. Shameful. 200 rubles per comment.
        1. -3
          30 June 2026 19: 49
          PVV22121922, you just forgot to specify that this is "a multitude of citizens" of Ukraine.
          And what do we care what they think? It's clear they don't like Ukraine being beaten up and down.
          So far, as we can see, our government has had both the will and the strength to help Crimea secede, launch the North-Eastern Military District, and annex four former Ukrainian regions to Russia. This has made our country larger, and our number has increased by 7 million.
          You're glossing over the fact that our successes in the Central Military District couldn't have happened without our successes in the home front. Russia has expanded its economic potential (we're now fourth in the world in GDP/PPP), significantly increased agricultural production—Russia is now the world leader in food and fertilizer exports—and has rearmed its army with the most modern weaponry. Russia currently produces more tanks and ammunition than all Western countries combined. We have clean, beautiful, and comfortable cities. Public transportation is convenient and well-developed. The economic well-being of our citizens is constantly growing. So, the only visible problem is representatives of the fifth column like you.
          1. -1
            1 July 2026 13: 31
            stand in front of a mirror (preferably on a stool) and loudly recite your text out loud wink
  12. +3
    29 June 2026 14: 32
    Well, the correspondents themselves and all sorts of paid patriots wrote that this is it: Ukraine's surrender will be accepted in Anchorage. Anyone who didn't sign the contract in time lost. The same thing happened with the Hazelnut Tree. Like, the Healing Hazelnut Tree will destroy bridges in Kyiv, and basically everywhere else. So, these kinds of article topics were ordered from above. Isn't that right?!
  13. +1
    29 June 2026 14: 38
    Russia has little room to maneuver; we're hemmed in by the West, and the most important thing now is to avoid a head-on conflict with them. The balance of power isn't in our favor; we'll simply be crushed. So the Kremlin is forced to dance. And we're still chewing on the Kremlin's mistakes, of which there have been countless since February 2022.
    1. -3
      29 June 2026 20: 56
      Glagol1, the first sentence is correct. The second is false. In my opinion, there were no mistakes. Everything worked out for the country's benefit. A plus for the first sentence, a minus for the second. Ultimately, I'll give it nothing.
  14. +2
    29 June 2026 16: 26
    Putin said it directly to Zarubin in a video interview

    there were no specific agreements in Anchorage

    The parties simply exchanged opinions. Why bring this topic up again?
    Moreover, Trump had no formal authority to negotiate on Ukraine's behalf. Trump might as well have promised Azerbaijan that he would give them Yerevan.
  15. -3
    29 June 2026 17: 35
    Indeed, now there is nothing stopping us from mobilizing and acting more harshly against Nezalezhnaya, while simultaneously preparing for a clash with the West.

    Wonderful prospects (for jingoistic patriots)...
    1. -3
      29 June 2026 20: 58
      Vox Populi, firstly, there are restrictions on our actions now. Secondly, they were exactly the same before. Russia doesn't want new American sanctions and is trying to avoid them at all costs. And after Anchorage, the US drastically reduced its aid to Ukraine. Is that bad for Russia?
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  16. -1
    29 June 2026 17: 48
    It's strange; the author was probably just "mistaking wishful thinking for reality." The Ural motorcycle is the real deal; the rest is just diplomatic hype.
  17. +2
    29 June 2026 20: 28
    Anchorage is advantageous to Putin in terms of stalling for time. While everyone waits for some kind of diplomatic reciprocation from Trump and Rubio, Russia is acquiring one farmstead after another. America is to blame for it all.
  18. -1
    30 June 2026 12: 46
    The Russian leadership, sincerely mistaken, began to pass off wishful thinking as reality.

    This isn't an isolated mistake; it's the Russian mentality: we've had a good time, we've talked, that means we have mutual understanding, that means we're friends now. How many times has Russian diplomacy stepped on this rake? The American is right: no document, no agreement. It's very simple. But in fact, the issue isn't just about anchorages anymore, but the looming specter of a catastrophic, fateful defeat for Russian society and the state at the hands of a country still viewed as a despised upstart, but in reality, the deadly tip of the West's spear. The Russian leadership has screwed up so thoroughly that it no longer dares admit it to the people.
  19. +1
    3 July 2026 16: 52
    Being deceived is no stranger to it.