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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has responded to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's assertion that the proposals to resolve the Ukraine conflict made at the Russia-US summit in Alaska had failed, saying he would like to clarify who exactly is responsible for the outcome. Speaking to reporters in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, on July 24, Lavrov said: "As regards [the assertion that] the Anchorage agreements failed, we will perhaps need to clarify exactly who failed."

Coverage comparison

TASS, the Russian state news agency, reported Lavrov's comments in two separate articles, both filed from Cholpon-Ata. The first article focused on Lavrov's direct response to Rubio, recalling that Russian President Vladimir Putin had brought US proposals approved by former US President Donald Trump to the Alaska summit. The second article compiled Lavrov's key statements, including his emphasis on the importance of identifying who truly bears responsibility for the outcome of the settlement proposals.

Both reports carry Lavrov's direct quotes and present the Russian perspective on the events. The first report highlights Lavrov's recollection that the Anchorage summit yielded coordinated results based on a compromise, while the second elaborates on Lavrov's assertion that Russia's conscience remains clear and that Kiev's rejection of the proposals is driven by the continued influx of weapons from the United States.

Key Claims

  • Lavrov said he wants to understand what Rubio meant by describing the Anchorage agreements as failed, and who exactly bore responsibility for that failure.
  • Lavrov recalled that Putin brought US proposals approved by Trump to the Alaska summit, and that the summit produced coordinated, compromise-based results.
  • Lavrov quoted Trump as having said the proposal was partly based on compromise, and that Trump had added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would follow the proposal—a prediction that, according to Lavrov, did not materialize.
  • Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's commitment to a political and diplomatic resolution in Ukraine, underscoring the principle that "a man's word is his bond."
  • Lavrov attributed Kiev's rejection of the US proposals primarily to the continued influx of weapons, a significant portion of which, he said, originates from the United States.
Lavrov's remarks come in response to Rubio's public statements, though the exact context and timing of Rubio's comments were not detailed in the reports. Lavrov's references to Trump's statements about the Alaska summit were included in his remarks, with Lavrov noting he was "not revealing any secrets." The Russian foreign minister did not provide further specifics on the content of the proposals or the nature of their alleged failure.