‘Dialogue for the sake of dialogue’ Kremlin tells state media to highlight Putin’s role, lower expectations, and blame Ukraine in summit coverage
The Kremlin’s latest guidelines for Russia’s propaganda media focus on how outlets should cover Friday’s summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The document, obtained by Meduza special correspondent Andrey Pertsev, calls for journalists to downplay expectations for the meeting’s outcome while emphasizing Putin’s role in “setting the agenda” for the U.S.–Russia relationship. It also instructs them to portray Ukraine as unreasonable and unwilling to negotiate — and to report that Putin made this argument to Trump.
The Kremlin has issued instructions to Russia’s state-controlled media on how to cover Friday’s summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
The guidelines tell pro-Kremlin outlets to emphasize that Putin spoke to Trump about “Kyiv’s unwillingness to negotiate,” that Moscow is “ready for various scenarios in the talks,” and that the Russian president “sets the agenda for Russian–American relations.”
The summit, the first meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will take place on August 15 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a U.S. military facility in Anchorage, Alaska, beginning around 11:00 a.m. local time. The main topic will be the war in Ukraine, though no Ukrainian representatives have been invited.
Putin will be joined by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev, who has taken part in previous talks with the Trump administration. The American delegation will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The Kremlin’s instructions do not speculate about potential outcomes, saying only that Russia is “ready for various scenarios in the negotiations” and that “nothing will come as a surprise to either the security or economic departments.” Journalists are told to convey this readiness by naming the Russian officials in attendance.
The guidelines stress that Putin “has no inflated expectations” but remains “open to dialogue.” They instruct reporters to underscore that “Russian–American dialogue and cooperation are not limited to the Ukrainian issue” and that “there are many other tracks where mutual understanding can be found.” Outlets are told to present Putin as the central figure in the talks, stressing that he, not Trump, sets the agenda in the two countries’ relationship.
The document also calls for media to claim that Ukraine’s leadership is “unwilling to negotiate” and that talks with Kyiv are “exhausted.” As evidence, they’re told to point to the “Easter ceasefire,” when Putin announced a 30-hour pause in operations on the Ukrainian front. Three days later, Putin said the ceasefire had led to a “reduction in hostilities,” while accusing Ukraine of violating the agreement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was Russia who had broken the ceasefire.
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A media strategist working with the Kremlin’s political team told Meduza that pro-government audiences are being prepped for the possibility that the summit “may not lead to a pause in fighting.” “It’s a warm-up to keep expectations low — and avoid disappointment,” the source said. “The main point is dialogue with the U.S. for the sake of dialogue. Putin and Trump are working on an agreement, and it’s Putin who sets the terms of that agreement.”
Pro-Kremlin outlets are already following this script. Lenta.ru, citing military correspondents, reported that “no breakthrough on Ukraine should be expected” and that Zelensky “will not agree to peace.” Another article said, “the Russian side is interested in discussing a transformation of overall bilateral relations, though of course it is ready to touch on the Ukrainian issue.” Komsomolskaya Pravda called a meeting with Zelensky “pointless” and said Putin and Trump will not announce any “solutions to the Ukrainian crisis.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the summit will address aspects of the conflict in Ukraine as well as “theses on regional and international issues.”