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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that Moscow will not speculate about the potential outcome of the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, as the leaders prepared to meet in Alaska.
Speaking to journalists in Anchorage after arriving for the high-stakes summit, Lavrov responded to Trump's earlier assessment that there was a 25% chance the negotiations could fail.
"We never make predictions. We know we have arguments and a clear, understandable position. We will present it," Lavrov said in an interview with Russian television channel Rossiya 1.
The Russian delegation arrived in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, ahead of the summit aimed at finding common ground to end the war in Ukraine, which has continued since February 2022.
Lavrov arrived wearing a sweatshirt with "USSR" written on it, which some analysts interpreted as a reminder that Russia and the U.S. were allies during World War II, and that Alaska serves as a historical link between the two countries.
Alaska was once a Russian region, sold by Tsar Alexander II to the U.S. for $7.2 million in 1867. During World War II, the U.S. supplied arms to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program.
Lavrov pointed out that significant progress had been made during visits by U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, who acted on behalf of Trump.
"A lot has already been done during visits by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who acted on behalf of the American president," Lavrov said. "I hope we'll continue this useful conversation."
Three of the five members of the Russian delegation had arrived in Alaska by Friday: Lavrov, presidential envoy for economic issues Kirill Dmitriev, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
Defense Minister Andrey Belousov was expected to arrive later in the day, while presidential aide Yuri Ushakov will accompany Putin, who stopped in the Magadan region on his way to Alaska to address internal policy issues.
The delegation was accompanied by approximately 50 Russian journalists, who were housed at the Alaska Airlines Center arena.
According to the Kremlin, Putin made a stop in the city of Magadan in northeastern Russia during his journey to Alaska. Putin was scheduled to meet with Magadan Regional Governor Sergey Nosov and visit factories as well as sports and cultural centers.
The Putin-Trump meeting was expected to begin around 11 a.m. local time (10 p.m. Moscow time).
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Trump-Putin meeting represents an opportunity for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine.
In a written statement about the Alaska summit, Merz said Russia has the opportunity to accept a ceasefire and end hostilities.
"We expect Putin to take Trump's dialogue offer seriously and to begin negotiations with Ukraine unconditionally after the meeting in Alaska," Merz said.
Merz emphasized that Germany would stand alongside its allies to establish a path to peace that protects the fundamental security interests of Europe and Ukraine.
The German chancellor noted that a summit should be held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy participating, where an agreement on a cease-fire should be reached. Merz stated that Ukraine needs security guarantees, noting that territorial issues can only be resolved with Ukraine's consent.
"President Trump can now take an important step toward peace," Merz said, while confirming Germany's continued support for Ukraine.
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