Ambassador Jack Matlock Comments on Trump-Putin Alaska Meet
Aug. 23—American senior diplomat Jack Matlock, the last American ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987 to 1991, and a severe critic of present United States foreign policy, filed his considered, and controversial, assessment of the Putin-Trump Anchorage meeting, in a statement published by the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord. It appears in full below. Ambassador Matlock was a speaker at the opening session of the May 24-25 International Conference of the Schiller Institute, “A Beautiful Vision for Humanity in Times of Great Turbulence!”
“Russiagate” and the Anchorage Meeting
Jack Matlock, August 22, 2025
Most commentators are reporting accurately that President Trump abandoned his previous demand that a ceasefire in Ukraine precede negotiations. He clearly did despite his earlier comments—not the first time he has changed his mind. I believe he did so because he was honestly convinced that Putin’s argument made sense. That is, if there is to be a peaceful settlement, it must be worked out beforehand.
Just a little history will explain this.
There was an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine before Russia annexed the Donbass. It was part of an agreement that those provinces would remain in Ukraine provided Ukraine pledged neutrality and amended its constitution to establish a federal system (like the U.S. has) and guarantee Russian speakers language rights. Ukraine did none of those things, routinely violated the ceasefire, and used it to rearm.
So, one might ask, then why didn’t Trump avoid the war by giving Putin the assurances he required during his first term? Answer: the effect of the “Russiagate” hoax, charging that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to elect Trump. That meant that any attempt to make a deal with Russia would have been condemned in the U.S. by those claiming falsely that Russia had embarrassing evidence about him and thus he was subject to blackmail.
In Trump’s rambling comments he referred with particular emotion to the effect of the “criminal” Russiagate hoax, implicitly confirming that this prevented him giving Putin the assurances required during his first term. When Putin commented that he believed Trump, he, in effect, communicated that he agreed with Trump on this point.
I believe that if there had not been the “Russiagate” hoax and Neocon advisers like John Bolton, Trump might well have done more to repair U.S.-Russian relations during his first term rather than acting in a manner that further exacerbated the relationship.
Jack F. Matlock, Jr.