Russia says making 'maximum efforts' to finalize Ukraine peace plan based on Trump-Putin talks

MOSCOW

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Sunday that Moscow is making "maximum efforts" to work out a scheme for the Ukrainian settlement in full accordance with the understanding reached by the Russian and US presidents at their meeting in Alaska last year.

Speaking in an interview with the Russian state news agency Tass, Ryabkov said contacts have been underway "almost uninterruptedly" in recent days.

"We are making maximum efforts so that during the contacts, which in recent days have been proceeding almost uninterruptedly in various formats, a settlement scheme is developed that fully corresponds to the basic understandings of the presidents of Russia and the US reached during their meeting in Anchorage," he said.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump met on Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the Ukrainian settlement.

Regarding the general assessment of relations with the US, Ryabkov said he believes the most applicable word today is "stagnation."

"Naturally, the level of contacts has become routine. But they continue. Moreover, the previous round of such contacts took place in Washington," he said.

Along with a focus on expert-level exchanges, there has been "a return to normalcy" as working contacts are now taking place in capitals, he said, highlighting it as "a positive development."

Commenting on the absence of a head of the American diplomatic mission in Russia, Ryabkov said Moscow has no understanding of when the US administration will request an agreement for a new ambassador.

"Not even exploratory contacts on this matter have taken place. The diplomatic mission in Moscow is headed by a charge d'affaires, with whom we have a working and constantly functioning contact," he said.

According to him, there is also no progress on issues concerning the return of seized Russian diplomatic property in the US, or on the resumption of direct air traffic.

Regarding the extension of the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty, Ryabkov said the US leadership "is demonstrating, on the whole, complete indifference to what will happen next."

"We conclude from this that the US, by and large, does not need this treaty. Just as restrictions in this area are not needed either," he said.

In response to US President Donald Trump's statement about the appearance of some secret superweapon in the country, Ryabkov said that, in his opinion, this case does not concern a weapon of mass destruction or mass effect.

Commenting on the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Ryabkov said it is necessary to insist on his release.

On Saturday, Trump said American forces used a classified device called "discombobulator" during the Jan. 3 raid in Caracas that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife.