The diplomatic framework that Moscow believed it had secured at the Anchorage summit between Presidents Putin and Trump last August has publicly unravelled, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accusing Washington of abandoning its role as an “objective mediator” and failing to honour what the Kremlin insists were agreed terms for ending the war. The rupture follows the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, where President Trump met President Zelensky, praised Ukraine’s military performance, and joined allies in pledging to intensify sanctions pressure on Russia’s war economy.

From Moscow’s perspective, the Anchorage meeting produced a US-authored proposal under which Russia would gain control of the entire Donbas region in exchange for peace. Lavrov, speaking at the Primakov Readings forum, said Russia remained committed to these “understandings” but had received no response from Washington after Trump subsequently consulted European leaders and Zelensky. The Kremlin’s interpretation, however, is not shared by the White House; US officials were reported to have been disappointed by the Anchorage talks, and no formal agreement was ever announced. Analysts in Stockholm and London describe the Russian leadership as operating under a “deep misunderstanding” of what was actually agreed, with one expert characterising Putin’s recent public descriptions of the war as out of touch with battlefield realities.

Viewed from Washington, the shift in tone reflects a president who, according to European diplomatic sources, was “enormously impressed” by Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes deep inside Russian territory and its ability to disrupt oil refineries and logistics. Trump’s public remarks that Zelensky is “doing pretty well” and his renewed interest in reimposing sanctions on Russian oil cargoes mark a departure from his earlier insistence that both sides share blame. Ukrainian officials, for their part, interpret the G7 outcome as a strengthening of US support, with discussions underway on licensing the production of American air-defence missiles in Ukraine.

The immediate consequence is a diplomatic deadlock. Moscow, feeling its expected pathway to a negotiated settlement has been blocked, has responded with accusations of bad faith and warnings that Europe is “openly preparing for war.” Meanwhile, Kyiv continues to press its military advantage, and Trump is expected to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, an encounter that may further define the administration’s posture. The dossier remains frozen, with no date set for the next round of US-brokered shuttle diplomacy and the Kremlin still awaiting what it calls a formal American answer to the Anchorage proposals.