Moscow unequivocally regards last weekend's Russia-US summit in Alaska as a positive step, but observers are cautioning against expectations of an imminent breakthrough both in bilateral relations and a resolution of the Ukraine conflict.
Upon his return home, Russian President Vladimir Putin described his visit as "timely and very useful" and the dialogue with US President Donald Trump "very frank and informative." The meeting brought the sides "closer to the necessary decisions," according to Putin.
For Moscow, the most important outcome of the Alaska meeting was the acknowledgement by the US side that a lasting peace settlement is more important than a temporary ceasefire, something that Putin has always insisted on, analysts say.
On the economic side, Washington has shelved its threat to impose new sanctions and "secondary" tariffs on Russia and buyers of its oil exports — another achievement for Moscow, although no one excludes that Trump might change his mind.
A peace deal in Ukraine is seen in Russia as a prospect located further down the road, particularly after a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders, during which the latter proposed security guarantees for Kyiv that Moscow would never accept.
