Rainer Saks: Russian Leaders Cannot Accept the Reality of the Alaska Summit

Security expert Rainer Saks writes that Russia's foreign minister and president are attempting to retroactively rewrite the narrative of the Alaska summit. Kremlin leaders claim that US special envoy Witkoff brought Moscow's proposals from the American president in advance, which were then reviewed point by point in Alaska.

Rainer Saks (Parempoolsed), security expert, analyses the behaviour of Russian leaders following the US-Russia summit in Alaska.

Russia's foreign minister has deemed it necessary to reopen the dispute over the Alaska summit, a move that suggests the Kremlin is dissatisfied with how the meeting has been portrayed publicly. Rather than moving forward, Russia's top officials are looking back.

The Kremlin's Version of Events

Russia's president attempted to prove that US special envoy Witkoff visited Moscow in advance and brought with him concrete proposals from the American president, which were then reviewed point by point in Alaska. The purpose of such an interpretation is to show that Russia was an active and equal partner in the entire negotiation process, whose views were taken into account.

This narrative suits the Kremlin's domestic consumption, it creates the impression that Russia dictates the terms rather than merely responding to them.

Retreating into the Past

Saks notes that such behaviour, disputing old meetings and redefining them, is characteristic of regimes that cannot adapt to changed reality. Russian leaders are essentially attempting to retreat back to the previous year, when things were, in their view, clearer and more favourable.

The tactic is familiar: if reality is displeasing, create an alternative version of it. The question, however, is how long this works, both on the international stage and in the eyes of Russia's own citizens.