Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is increasingly frustrated that Donald Trump appears to be moving away from the positions he took after the Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin. Lavrov argued that Russia made concessions there, only to be told later, in effect, to concede again. He also said U.S. sanctions from the Biden era were extended, new sanctions were imposed, Washington keeps selling weapons to Ukraine through Europe, and the Alaska talks did not even lead to progress on frozen Russian assets or direct flights.
The shift comes as Trump, according to a Financial Times report, was impressed at the G7 summit by Ukraine’s long-range strikes inside Russia and agreed to tougher sanctions on Russia’s energy sector. Ukrainian attacks in recent weeks have hit military and infrastructure targets hundreds and even thousands of kilometers behind the front, including near Moscow, near oil refineries, and in Siberia, while Ukraine has nearly paralyzed Russian control in Crimea. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said this month that Russia will not achieve the goals it set at the start of the war and may not even be able to secure its current demands militarily.
Ukrainian officials say their ties with Trump have improved after his meetings with Volodymyr Zelensky. They reported progress on Patriot interceptor missiles and on approvals for the production and supply of Western weapons, including in Ukraine. A Ukrainian official said Trump told Zelensky he was impressed by Ukraine’s recent “military results.” Zelensky said Trump and Rubio reacted positively to the Patriot issue, but that Trump’s personal approval is still needed.
At the same time, Russia is reportedly pressuring Belarus to play a larger role in the war. The Wall Street Journal said Moscow wants Belarus to become a platform for expanding the fighting against Ukraine and possibly against NATO states. Alexander Lukashenko said Emmanuel Macron warned him about deeper involvement. Belarus has largely avoided direct combat since 2022, but has sold fuel to Russia, hosts drone-related facilities, and now has about 2,000 Russian troops on its soil. Zelensky has threatened to strike those sites if the support continues, while the Kremlin said Russia would stand by Minsk against any threat.
