Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the United States is making a “genuine” and “energetic” effort to halt fighting in Ukraine and pursue agreements that take into account the interests of all sides.
Speaking in Moscow on Thursday after a meeting with top government officials, Putin expressed cautious optimism ahead of his scheduled summit with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. The talks will focus on ending the Ukraine conflict and exploring steps toward normalizing relations between Moscow and Washington.
“The American leadership is making quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities,” Putin said. He added that both nations were working to “create long-term conditions of peace between our countries, in Europe, and in the world as a whole.”
Putin suggested that progress could be accelerated if Russia and the US reach agreements on strategic offensive weapons control in upcoming stages of negotiations.
Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were among the senior officials attending Thursday’s discussions in Moscow. All three will join Putin in Alaska for the summit.
According to the Kremlin, the meeting will open with a one-on-one discussion between Putin and Trump, followed by talks involving both nations’ delegations.
Trump has characterized the meeting as a “feel-out” session to gauge whether a resolution to the Ukraine conflict is possible. He has indicated that, if the talks are productive, he may pursue a second round of negotiations involving Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump will consider “all possible options for a peaceful end to the conflict” during the summit. She added that the president would prefer to avoid imposing new sanctions on Russia, favoring a diplomatic path instead.
The Anchorage summit marks the most high-profile US-Russia engagement since tensions over Ukraine escalated, and both sides have signaled a cautious willingness to explore common ground.
