Story perspectives

Rubio Rejects Alleged Trump-Putin Alaska Deal Amid Ukraine War

6/26/2026

Summary

Story summary

Russian officials claim a secret Alaska peace deal was reached between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Marco Rubio says no such agreement was reached in Alaska.
Sergei Lavrov says leaders reviewed U.S. proposals from Steve Witkoff and affirmed consent, contradicting Rubio.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy tells Donald Trump Ukraine is striking deep into Russian territory.
Dmitry Peskov says the United States cannot be neutral because it supplies weapons to Ukraine.

History

Historical Context

The Budapest Memorandum, signed on 5 December 1994 by Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom, pledged political security assurances in exchange for Ukraine’s relinquishment of its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion in 2022 breached those assurances, prompting the United States to provide roughly $300 million in dismantlement aid and later military assistance to Kyiv.

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Story summary

Russian officials claim a secret Alaska peace deal was reached between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Marco Rubio says no such agreement was reached in Alaska.
Sergei Lavrov says leaders reviewed U.S. proposals from Steve Witkoff and affirmed consent, contradicting Rubio.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy tells Donald Trump Ukraine is striking deep into Russian territory.
Dmitry Peskov says the United States cannot be neutral because it supplies weapons to Ukraine.

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