Russia’s Double-Track Policy in Dealing with Washington

Feb. 14—The recent flurry of major policy statements and interviews by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is covered in an analysis published by RT under the curious byline of “RT Newsroom, a team of multi-lingual journalists.” The Feb. 11 article explains that Lavrov and Kremlin special adviser Kirill Dmitriev are not working at cross-purposes, nor do they represent different “factions,” as some Western observers have argued. Rather, there is a “division of labor. One set of officials continues to test transactional engagement with Washington. Another has begun saying openly that it is not possible.”

“On one track is Kirill Dmitriev, the Harvard-educated financier and head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, tasked with maintaining dialogue and exploring large-scale economic deals with the West. On the other is Sergey Lavrov, esteemed diplomat and the longest-serving foreign minister in the world. He is increasingly the man saying publicly what Moscow believes privately: that the U.S. is negotiating in words while escalating in practice. That contrast has come into full view following a series of interviews Lavrov gave respectively to RT, TV BRICS, and in subsequent public remarks.”

'The Spirit of Anchorage'

Lavrov, they note, still refers to the spirit of the 2025 Anchorage, Alaska summit between Putin and Trump, but recently said this has been sabotaged by the Europeans and others. “If you approach it, so to speak, man-to-man, they made an offer, we agreed—the problem should have been resolved. … And so, having accepted their proposals, we believed we had fulfilled the task of resolving the Ukrainian issue and could move on to full-scale, broad, mutually beneficial cooperation. But in practice everything looks the opposite.”

In practice, Lavrov said, “The U.S.’s objective is global economic dominance, implemented through a wide range of coercive measures inconsistent with fair competition, including tariffs, sanctions, direct prohibitions, and even restrictions on communication for some partners. We must take all this into account.”

RT’s evaluation is the following: “Taken together, Lavrov and Dmitriev embody the dual character of Russia’s current foreign policy posture toward the United States. Lavrov’s rhetoric signals a strategic judgment that Washington’s actions have surpassed the limits of cooperation, redefining engagement as pressure rather than partnership. Dmitriev’s activity demonstrates that, even under these conditions, Moscow continues to probe whether narrow, transactional interactions—especially those linked to peace negotiations and economic dialogue—can still yield results.”

Analysis Disputed

Several sources have disputed this analysis, saying that it leaves out the most critical component of any U.S.-Russia relationship—Trump and Putin. As one source who has spent years negotiating with Russians acknowledges, both Trump and Putin believe that they, as leaders of great powers, can resolve any issue. "The problem." the source said,"is in selling what they agree to, to other partners, such as the Europeans of their puppet Ukrainian dictator, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump and Putin made a deal, but the other parties would not accept it."

This source said that Trump has recently come to the conclusion that he must return to the Anchorage framework and impose that on the Ukraine. That, the source said, is what is going to happen in the meetings this coming week in Geneva. If Ukraine does not come to its senses, Trump has told Putin that he will walk away and leave the Russians to militarily defeat Ukraine and crush Zelenskyy. At that point, he may reenter the field of play and try to work out terms with Putin on the future and reconstruction.

It's a Question of Survival

Also, these sources say that both Trump and Putin will continue to discuss areas where they can cooperate, including on big economic projects and mutually beneficial development plans, such as for the Arctic Region. They dispute the claim that such deals are part of a "bargaining package for Ukraine."

They are much bigger than that, and not some quid pro quo, as reports in the press, including by the British linked Bloomberg News on the $12 trillion package.

"These projects, which include things such as the Bering Strait tunnel, are things of interest to both Presidents and their countries," said the source. "They are only tangentially linked with Ukraine discussions. The plans can proceed regardless of the outcome of Ukraine talks. That was made clear in recent discussion between Dmitriev and Witkoff and Kushner. Bloomberg and their sponsors deliberately misrepresented this. Trump, for example, strongly believes that the best way to rebuild trust between the U.S. and Russia is through cooperation on mutually beneficial programs like those in that $12 Trillion package. Putin agrees, which is why he sent Dmitriev to Miami. Now, there are some hardliners on both sides who absolutely do not agree. They spread lies that Putin does not trust Trump and vice versa. It is not a question of trust, really. It is more like survival. Do you want to survive? Then the two greatest nuclear powers must work together—and the trust will come."