Nearly two months after US President Donald Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on the Ukraine war, a senior Russian official said on Wednesday that the “powerful momentum” from that meeting has “largely faded.““Unfortunately, we must admit that the powerful momentum generated by Anchorage in favour of agreements… has largely gone,” Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to Russian news agencies.He blamed European leaders for the continuing impasse, saying, “This is the result of destructive activities, primarily by the Europeans.”On the possibility of the US sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Rybakov warned of “severe” consequences and demanded Washington reconsider any such move.Also Read | ‘US giving Ukraine intelligence on regular basis’: Russia calls Nato role ‘obvious’; Tomahawks under reviewLast month, US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News Washington was weighing the option of supplying long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.Putin has warned that such a step would mark “a whole new level of escalation.”Trump and Putin met at an air base in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, but failed to reach any peace agreement to end the fighting in Ukraine. It was their first meeting since Trump returned to the White House in January.Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have since stalled, with both Moscow and Kyiv launching deadly strikes across each other’s territory as Russian forces continue to make gains on the battlefield.Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin’s apparent unwillingness to accept a deal, saying last month he was “very disappointed” with the Russian leader. In September, he wrote on his Truth Social platform that Kyiv should try to “take back” all its occupied territory with support from Europe and NATO.The Russia–Ukraine war, which began in February 2022, is now approaching its fourth year, with no end or resolution in sight.
