'Our stance is clear, well-defined': Lavrov on Putin-Trump summit as he lands in Alaska

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday said that Moscow is prepared to present a clear position at the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, with the Ukraine conflict expected to dominate the agenda.

In an interview with Rossiya 24 aired on Friday, Lavrov — who has reportedly already arrived in Anchorage, Alaska — refrained from commenting on possible outcomes of the talks.

“We do not predict anything in advance. We know that we have arguments, our stance is clear and well-defined. We will present them,” he was quoted as saying.

Upon arriving in Anchorage, Lavrov — who was seen wearing a sweater bearing the Cyrillic letters “CCCP,” the abbreviation for the former USSR — briefly addressed reporters outside his hotel.

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Lavrov said that a lot was done during US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s recent visit to Moscow, and that the Kremlin hopes to continue this “useful conversation” at today’s summit.

The American official has visited Russia five times since President Trump took office, with the most recent meeting — a three-hour discussion focused primarily on the Ukraine conflict —held last week.

Moscow has maintained that a lasting resolution to the conflict is only possible if Kiev agrees to permanently forgo Nato membership, implements demilitarisation and denazification measures, and acknowledges the current realities on the ground.

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This includes recognising Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye as part of Russia — territories that held public referendums to join Russia in 2014 and 2022.

Trump has previously suggested that the negotiations might explore a potential land-swap deal between Russia and Ukraine.

However, Moscow has firmly rejected any proposal involving the return of regions that joined Russia through referendums.

Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to hold territory in parts of Ukraine, including areas within the Kharkov, Sumy, and Dnepropetrovsk regions.

With inputs from agencies