Irina Pogorelaya08:38, 20.06.26

Since then, Russian negotiators have used the term “the spirit of Anchorage” to emphasize that these agreements with Trump suit the Kremlin.

US President Donald Trump nearly handed over Ukraine to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Alaska in August 2025.

French President Emmanuel Macron made this statement . He noted that the agreement with Putin included the transfer of even unoccupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.

“The meeting between Trump and Putin in Anchorage, where they almost reached an agreement to say, ‘We will give up the Ukrainian territory that hasn’t been seized.’ Then, in August, we’re going to Washington with a delegation to say, ‘This is impossible, we’re trying…’ A long way has been traveled. This journey is a victory for the Ukrainians, in their abilities and confidence,” Macron explained.

The French president added that the European delegation had opened the US president’s eyes to the real situation: Ukraine was struggling, and claims that it would not survive the winter were unfounded.

“The US President saw that everything he had been told – that the Ukrainians would lose, that they wouldn’t survive the winter – was untrue, and he saw that standing before him were courageous, resourceful people whom he respected,” the French President noted.

“He saw that Russia was not honoring its commitments, and that where it said, ‘I want peace,’ he realized that their peace meant Ukraine’s capitulation,” Macron emphasized.

Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine

Negotiations with Russia to end its war against Ukraine have reached a deadlock. The last meeting on this topic took place at the end of February.

Meanwhile, the Russians stubbornly insist on obtaining all of Donbas. Kremlin negotiators have repeatedly spoken of the “spirit of Anchorage,” which satisfied all their demands.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already noted that “it seems as if the two sides are talking about completely different things.” “The Russians often talk about some kind of ‘spirit of Anchorage.’ And we can only guess what they actually mean , “ Zelenskyy stated.

In reality, the “spirit of Anchorage” is a Russian propaganda term used to describe hypothetical behind-the-scenes agreements and a level of mutual understanding supposedly reached between Trump and Putin during their meeting in Alaska last August regarding the terms for ending the war in Ukraine.

(C)UNIAN 2026