The "strong momentum" for ending the Russia-Ukraine war, built upon the August meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, has faded, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Oct. 8.
Ryabkov's remarks indicate an increasing pessimism about peace talks following Putin's effective dismissal of direct negotiations with President Volodymyr Zelensky — an initiative that Trump personally backed.
"We have to acknowledge that the strong momentum created in Anchorage toward reaching agreements has been largely exhausted due to the efforts of opponents... primarily Europeans," the Russian deputy minister said.
Ryabkov added that Washington has yet to respond to Putin's proposal to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) limitations for another year after its scheduled expiration in 2026.
"It's an outstretched hand. If they're not interested, we'll manage without it," he added.
Putin proposed last month that Moscow and Washington maintain current nuclear arms limits under the 2010 treaty, which remains the last bilateral arms control agreement between the two powers.
Trump and Putin met in Alaska on Aug. 15 to discuss peace settlement in Russia's war against Ukraine and broader cooperation, marking their first meeting since the U.S. president returned to office.
While Trump pledged to arrange direct talks between Zelensky and Putin, no agreement was reached.
Zelensky rejected Putin's invitation to meet in Moscow, calling it impossible while Russia bombs Ukraine, but repeatedly said he is ready to meet the Russian leader on neutral ground.
The Alaska summit, initially expected to include sessions on bilateral cooperation, ended abruptly after those segments were canceled. Two months later, no tangible progress has been made toward peace.
Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that the meeting convinced the Russian president that he could intensify air strikes on Ukraine without facing serious pushback from Washington.
Trump has linked potential new U.S. sanctions on Moscow to tougher European action, criticizing the EU for maintaining energy imports from Russia.
The U.S. president has recently hardened his tone on Russia, saying in September that Ukraine could win the war and reclaim all Russian-occupied territories lost since the invasion.
"Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years," he said on Sept. 23. "This does not distinguish Russia; in fact, it very much makes them look like 'a paper tiger.'"
Washington is also considering sending Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) to Ukraine, which could allow strikes deep into Russian territory.
Putin warned that such a move, which would allow Kyiv to strike the Urals and parts of Siberia, would mark a "new stage of escalation" and could undermine any progress made in U.S.-Russia relations.
Ryabkov echoed those concerns, saying the Tomahawk deliveries would represent a "qualitative change in the situation" and could only be used "with the direct involvement of American personnel."
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