US Silent on Putin’s Offer to Channel Frozen Assets Into Board of Peace

The United States has not yet responded to President Vladimir Putin's proposal to direct frozen Russian assets into the budget of the Board of Peace, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"Such a proposal was indeed voiced by the president of Russia, but we have not yet received a response,”

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin Spokesman

Earlier, during Russian-US negotiations, Putin said Moscow was ready to allocate one billion dollars from frozen Russian assets to support the Board of Peace.

Anchorage Understandings and Hopes for a Breakthrough

Peskov described the understandings reached by Russia and the United States at the Anchorage summit as fundamental and capable of moving the settlement process forward. Speaking to journalists, as quoted by RBC, he responded to remarks by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about Washington's reluctance to follow through on its own Ukraine-related initiatives.

"There is a whole set of understandings that were reached in Anchorage, and even earlier, during the visit of Mr. Steve Witkoff. That is precisely what made the high-level meeting necessary. This set of understandings represents the spirit of Anchorage, and we do not want to go into details,” Peskov said.

He emphasized that the Kremlin prefers to conduct discussions behind closed doors "in the interest of the process” and said work in this direction continues.

Lavrov Criticizes US Sanctions and Economic Pressure

Peskov's comments followed statements by Lavrov, who said the United States was not ready to implement proposals it had advanced in Anchorage and that Moscow had accepted.

"They proposed something on Ukraine, and we were ready for it, but now they are no longer ready. And beyond that, we see no bright future in the economic sphere either,” Sergey Lavrov said.

Lavrov noted that shortly after what he described as a positive meeting between the Russian and US presidents in Alaska, Washington imposed new sanctions on LUKOIL and Rosneft. The US Treasury explained the measures by citing an alleged lack of serious Russian interest in the peace process.

According to Lavrov, Washington continues to pressure India and other Russian partners to stop purchasing Russian energy resources, just as it previously did with Europe, which he said is being forced to buy American liquefied natural gas at inflated prices.

"In economic terms, the Americans have effectively declared a goal of economic domination,” the minister noted.

Lavrov reiterated that Russia accepted the US proposal in Anchorage.

"If we speak plainly, they proposed it, we agreed, and the problem should have been resolved,” he added.

He said that if Moscow and Washington had announced the outcomes of the Anchorage summit, the process of formalizing peace agreements could have moved quickly. Instead, Lavrov argued, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rushed to Washington and began revising the initiative already approved by Putin.

"They are still revising it. When American colleagues visit us, it feels as though they want additional concessions from our side,” Lavrov added.

In January, Peskov said the Kremlin saw no reason to disclose the contents of the so-called Anchorage formula and reiterated Moscow's position that Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the territory of Donbas, noting that "there are other nuances as well.”