The five meetings Putin held with Witkoff were not about a ceasefire, nor solely about Ukraine, says Dmitri Trenin, member of Russia’s Foreign and Defence Policy Council and former Carnegie Moscow Center director.

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Trump’s moves are helping create disarray within the West — ultimately furthering Russia’s interests, says Andrey Sushentsov, Dean of MGIMO’s School of International Relations.

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Putin: Russia’s terms for a lasting peace with Ukraine were announced on June 14, 2024, and have not changed.

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Russia’s position on peace in Ukraine remains unchanged, says Foreign Ministry ahead of Putin–Trump summit.

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A recap of Russia’s unchanged peace terms, as outlined by President Putin on June 14, 2024:

— Full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions.

— Ukraine’s renunciation of plans to join NATO and commitment to a neutral, non-aligned, non-nuclear status.

— Demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine in accordance with the parameters agreed upon during the 2022 Istanbul talks.

— Guaranteed protection of the rights, freedoms, and interests of Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population.

— Recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions.

— Lifting of all Western sanctions against Russia.

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Putin ahead of Alaska summit:

The Trump administration is making vigorous and sincere efforts to end hostilities and reach agreements that serve the interests of all parties involved in this conflict.

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Putin highly values Trump’s unprecedentedly unconventional approach to solving the most complex issues, Peskov says en route to Alaska.

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Lavrov: The Russian delegation in Alaska will present its clear and well-defined position, building on prior discussions with Steve Witkoff.

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Patriarch Kirill on the Alaska Summit:

We sincerely hope this meeting will bring hope and peace to all of humanity, strengthen comprehensive ties between Russia and the United States, and allow the world to, in a sense, breathe a sigh of relief.

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Ahead of his flight to Alaska, Putin stopped at the ALSIB memorial in Magadan to honor American and Soviet pilots who carried out Lend-Lease supply missions during World War II, and to commemorate the history of U.S.–Russia cooperation.

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Russia hopes for a positive outcome from the Trump–Putin summit, but holds “no inflated expectations,” says Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Alexander Darchiev.

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Putin in Alaska: For lasting peace to take hold, all the root causes of the Ukraine conflict must be addressed and a fair security balance restored in Europe and globally.

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Putin: The Alaska summit presented an opportunity to calmly and thoroughly reiterate Russia’s consistent and principled position on Ukraine.

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Medvedev: The most important outcome of the Alaska summit is that both sides placed responsibility for the future results of peace negotiations on Kiev and Europe.

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In Alaska, President Putin called on Kiev and European leaders to act constructively and avoid undermining the emerging U.S.–Russia understanding and progress towards peace.

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Putin: Russia’s sovereignty over the Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, and Lugansk regions is permanent and non-negotiable.

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Putin: In the 2022 draft peace treaty, Russia accepted NATO-like security guarantees for Ukraine in exchange for neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.

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Putin: If Kiev and the West reject Russia’s latest peace proposal, outlined on June 14, 2024, they will bear responsibility for continued bloodshed.

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Zakharova: We once again reaffirm our categorical rejection of any scenarios involving the deployment of troops from NATO member states to Ukraine.

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Ushakov: After his White House meeting with Zelensky and European leaders, Trump called Putin to discuss raising the level of representation in direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.

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