Why is Russia hiding behind agreements with Alaska and issuing yet another ultimatum?

The Kremlin and senior Russian officials are attempting to use the lack of clarity surrounding the outcome of the Alaska summit to obscure Moscow’s ongoing unwillingness to make meaningful concessions, according to a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

ISW analysts note that Russian statements about the “root causes of the war” indicate the Kremlin’s continued commitment to maximalist objectives. The report highlights a series of recent comments by Russian officials responding to various proposals for a Ukraine “peace plan.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow’s position on any updated peace proposal would “fundamentally” change if the revised plan fails to preserve what he described as the “spirit and letter” of the supposed understandings reached at the Alaska summit.

Leonid Slutsky, chair of the State Duma’s (Parliament of Russia) International Affairs Committee, reiterated that any settlement must address the “root causes” of the conflict and claimed that Russia had reached an “understanding” with Washington during the summit.

ISW emphasizes that the details of the U.S.-Russian talks in Alaska remain unclear and that neither side has publicly confirmed any agreement. Instead, President Vladimir Putin used his press conference at the end of the summit to repeat Russia’s long-standing demands framed as addressing the “root causes” of the war.

Russian troops advanced in Pokrovsk and were detected in the railway station area

Difficult weather conditions — persistent rain and fog — continue to complicate the work of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, effectively providing natural cover for Russian troops.

At the same time, Ukrainian officials acknowledge that official statements alone are not enough to force Russian units to retreat from the city center. Attempts to hit Russian assault groups in the rear are frequently met with heavy resistance and do not always achieve the intended results, according to military sources.

Ukrainian units continue efforts to stabilize the situation in Pokrovsk and push Russian forces out of the central districts.

As a reminder, Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov recently reported that more than 100,000 Russian troops are concentrated in the Pokrovsk area, attempting to reinforce their positions and complicate the city’s defense.

From January to October of this year, Russia killed 548 Ukrainian civilians and injured more than 3,500

According to the latest report from the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), Russian forces have caused devastating losses on civilians in 2025, with at least 548 civilians killed and over 3,500 injured from January to October alone—a staggering 27% increase compared to the same period in 2024. This dismal toll, totaling more than 12,000 casualties in the first ten months—surpassing the entire year's figure from 2024—highlights the relentless escalation of Russia's aerial assaults, particularly on energy infrastructure and frontline communities in regions like Kherson, Kharkiv, and Donetsk.

Long-range missiles and drones accounted for 65% of these deaths and injuries, underscoring the deliberate targeting of non-combatants amid Ukraine's deepening winter vulnerabilities.

Claims that the war in Ukraine is ending are seen as premature by the Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s administration has issued a new statement regarding the war in Ukraine, urging observers not to expect a rapid end to the conflict.

The remarks were delivered by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as reported by TASS. Peskov cautioned against drawing “premature conclusions” about the war nearing its conclusion.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov commented on the U.S.-proposed “Trump peace plan.” According to Ryabkov, Moscow is “not ready to discuss specific details” of the proposal at this stage.

“Various versions of this peace plan are public. Ultimately, time and attention are required to continue the dialogue process,” Ryabkov said, as cited by RIA Novosti.

He added that the key issue now appears to be whether there is “political will to implement the understandings that were reached in Anchorage.” Russia, he stressed, intends to act strictly within the framework of the agreements allegedly formed between Presidents Putin and Trump.

Moscow reacted to the concessions from Russia announced by Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said that Russia has apparently agreed “to some concessions” in the peace plan, though he did not give any details. However, Moscow sees the situation differently.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said this in a comment to Sky News.

As the U.S. increases its efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine, Ryabkov said that Russia is “ready to work with the materials we have.”

But he stressed that there can be no talk of concessions.

“It cannot be about any concessions or abandoning our approach on the key issues we face, especially in the context of the SVO (Russia calls the war in Ukraine a Special Military Operation),” he said.

According to Ryabkov, Moscow welcomes “the efforts of the Trump administration to find reasonable solutions and reasonable results.” He added that discussions of the peace plan are still ongoing.

Ryabkov also said that “various elements of the Anchorage Agreement” — referring to the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska in August — are already compromise solutions.

Trump earlier said that Ukraine and Russia are “very close to a peace agreement.” He claimed that Russia’s main “concession” would be simply stopping its fighting against Ukraine.

Trump also said he did not set any deadline for reaching a peace deal and that U.S. representatives are making progress in negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council was questioned in the latest big corruption case

Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council and former defense minister, has been questioned by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) in connection with a major corruption investigation, Ukrainska Pravda reported on November 26, citing Umerov’s press service.

Umerov is being questioned as part of the Energoatom corruption case — the largest corruption investigation during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s cadency. Eight suspects have been charged, and Timur Mindich, a close associate of the president, is allegedly the ringleader.

Umerov did not respond to requests for comment.

According to his press service, he was summoned to NABU as a witness to provide testimony in an investigation into alleged interference in the activities of a state official.

“The conversation was constructive,” the press service said. “Rustem Umerov answered all the investigators’ questions in accordance with procedural law.”

The charges brought against Mindich state that he carried out criminal activities by influencing Umerov and Herman Halushchenko, the former energy minister and former justice minister.

“The successful execution of these criminal activities depended on maintaining personal ties with the heads of ministries and holding systematic meetings with them and other influential state officials at his actual place of residence,” the case materials say. “This communication enabled Mindich to obtain, both personally and through enterprises subordinate to him, significant sums of money with the assistance of Ukrainian Defense Minister Umerov, Energy Minister Halushchenko, and other individuals.”

According to the investigation, Mindich pressured Umerov to conclude a contract with an Israeli company for the supply of bulletproof vests.

The contract was ultimately signed. However, the company failed to deliver the vests on time, and the Ukrainian military received low-quality Chinese vests instead.