‘Putin restored Russia’s status as a superpower’ The main outcomes of the Alaska summit, according to the Kremlin’s state media guidelines
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s high-profile meeting in Anchorage on Friday produced little of substance — but it gave the Russian president plenty to boast about at home. The Kremlin’s latest guidelines for its propaganda outlets instruct them to stress that “no deal on Ukraine” was ever on the table, that Putin “restored Russia’s status as a great superpower” and met the U.S. president “as an equal,” and that Russia and the U.S. “have much to offer each other.” Here’s how Moscow hopes to spin the Alaska summit.
The Kremlin’s latest talking points for pro-government and state-run media instruct outlets to report that “no deal [on Ukraine] was reached at the summit — and no deal could have been reached.”
Even before Friday’s meeting, the Kremlin had issued a separate set of guidelines urging outlets to emphasize “dialogue” and to stress that Putin was prepared for any scenario. A strategist working with the presidential administration’s political team told Meduza at the time that pro-government audiences were being primed for the possibility that the summit “might not result in a pause in fighting.” “It’s a warm-up to keep expectations low — and to avoid disappointment,” he explained. “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.”
The post-summit guidelines tell journalists to report that “the demands from Kyiv and European leaders for an unconditional ceasefire weren’t even discussed in the presidents’ final statements,” and that “Trump urged Zelensky to strike a deal with Russia to resolve the conflict.”
The Kremlin also instructs media to highlight that Trump personally greeted Putin at the airport — a “gesture of goodwill” no other foreign leader has received.
According to the document, the central message in pro-Kremlin coverage should be that the meeting was “historic” because “Putin restored Russia’s status as a great superpower.” It insists that Putin and Trump “spoke as equals,” unlike Trump’s negotiations with European leaders. “The revival of Russia’s power and authority is the result of recent years. This strength is being recognized,” the memo declares.
The document also claims that Russia and the U.S. can “open a new chapter in their relationship,” and that their leaders see no contradictions when it comes to cooperation. “If talks stall over disagreements about Ukraine, we urge promoting dialogue instead through topics like economics and science,” the Kremlin’s political team instructs journalists to write.
Another point in the memo is that Ukraine and European countries have been “sidelined” and dealt a “major blow in the information war.” The document, however, makes no forecasts about the war itself or about Putin and Trump’s future relationship.
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