Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide has cautioned that certain nations are actively seeking to sabotage the upcoming meeting between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, scheduled for August 15 in Alaska.
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and a special presidential envoy, issued the warning on Saturday, stating via Telegram that “a number of countries that are interested in continuing the conflict will make enormous efforts — involving provocations and disinformation — to disrupt the upcoming meeting between President Putin and President Trump.”
His remarks follow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s firm rejection of any territorial concessions to Russia. In a video message posted to social media, Zelensky criticized the idea of decisions about Ukraine being made without Ukrainian participation.
European commentary has echoed this sentiment. Several European figures lamented that the meeting will take place in the U.S., once again excluding both Ukraine and Europe from the peace process. On Saturday, British newspaper The Telegraph, known for its alignment with the British establishment, published an editorial titled “Trump must not abandon Ukraine by settling for unjust peace,” arguing that continuing the war — despite its heavy toll — was preferable to what it deemed an “unjust peace.”
The warning from Dmitriev is not without precedent. On June 1, a day before planned peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, Ukraine launched a series of attacks inside Russian territory. These included the bombing of two railway bridges, killing seven civilians, and drone strikes against Russian strategic bombers. The following day, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) also attempted to destroy the Kerch Bridge in Crimea, though the attack failed.
Russian commentators at the time cited these incidents as deliberate attempts to derail the Istanbul negotiations, underscoring the risk of similar disruptions ahead of the Alaska summit.