Moscow is approaching Friday’s planned Alaska summit between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump as an opportunity to rebuild relations with Washington — but not necessarily to end the war in Ukraine. Kremlin officials and analysts suggest Putin’s real aim is to decouple U.S.-Russia ties from the conflict, using the meeting to boost his standing and pursue broader deals in areas like Arctic infrastructure and energy cooperation.

Kremlin’s Summit Playbook

Senior Putin aide Kirill Dmitriev has framed the talks as a path toward “hope, peace and global security,” while lawmakers hint at discussions on “much more important global issues” beyond Ukraine. State media has amplified stories of high-level U.S.-Russia contacts, including visits to potential Trump-branded projects in Moscow.

Former ambassador Alexander Yakovenko wrote that Ukraine’s war had “long been lost by the West” and was now merely an obstacle to U.S.-Russia normalization. Analysts say this reflects a Kremlin strategy to make Ukraine politically irrelevant in U.S. decision-making.

Minimal Concessions, Maximal Optics

Putin’s pre-summit offer, conveyed by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, demands Kyiv surrender the fortified northern Donetsk region — an area larger than the West Bank — in exchange for a cease-fire. Western diplomats say Putin sees himself as winning on the battlefield, emboldened by Washington’s halt in military funding to Ukraine.

Any concessions are expected to be tactical. Analysts predict Putin might agree to pause missile attacks — which have recently devastated Ukrainian cities — in part to relieve pressure from Ukraine’s own long-range drone strikes on Russian infrastructure. However, Russian commentators warn such a truce would last no more than six months before renewed offensives.

Domestic Messaging: Victory Is Inevitable

For Putin, simply meeting Trump on U.S. soil is being spun as proof of his resilience against Western isolation, despite facing an ICC war-crimes arrest warrant. State TV voices insist the war will not end in Alaska, portraying it as a zero-sum fight that can only conclude with “total victory” over Kyiv.

Trump, for his part, says he will “feel out” whether a deal is possible and could walk away. He has allowed U.S. sanctions deadlines on Russia to lapse, which European allies fear signals a softer American stance.