By Obinna Uballa
Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised what he called the Trump administration’s “energetic and sincere” efforts to end the war in Ukraine and signalled that Moscow and Washington could move toward a new agreement on nuclear arms control during their high-profile summit in Alaska on Friday.
Speaking in Moscow on Thursday at a meeting with senior Russian officials, Putin said the upcoming talks with US President Donald Trump were aimed at “creating long-term conditions for peace between our countries, in Europe, and in the world as a whole.”
He hinted that future stages of the dialogue could include “agreements in the area of control over strategic offensive weapons,” potentially reviving arms limitation efforts under the New START treaty, which expires in February 2026. The treaty, in force since 2011, sets strict limits on deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons.
The summit, according to CNN report, comes amid underlying tensions. Earlier this month, Trump said he had ordered two US nuclear submarines to be positioned near Russia after “highly provocative” comments by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current deputy chairman of its Security Council. Analysts say Medvedev is known for combative online statements, often invoking the threat of nuclear conflict.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said the two leaders will begin Friday’s summit with a one-on-one meeting, accompanied only by interpreters, before continuing discussions over a working lunch.
Talks will focus on the Ukraine war, bilateral trade and economic cooperation, and broader global security issues, followed by a joint press conference.
Ushakov will join Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defence Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, on Russia’s negotiating team.
Notably, Ukraine and European leaders were not invited to the Alaska meeting, prompting concerns in Kyiv and across the continent that a deal could be struck without Ukraine’s input.
In a last-minute appeal, European leaders held a call with Trump on Wednesday. Afterward, they said the US president appeared sympathetic to their calls for an immediate ceasefire and for Ukraine to be included in future talks.
