MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as he arrived in Alaska on Friday, said Moscow has “a clear, understandable position” and arguments to support it at the forthcoming meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump.

Commenting on Trump's remarks that there is 25% chance of failure in negotiations, Lavrov, in an interview with the Russian Rossiya 1 TV channel in the city of Anchorage, said the Russian side never makes predictions beforehand.

“We know we have arguments and a clear, understandable position. We'll present it,” he said.

Lavrov pointed out that a lot has already been done during visits by US envoy Steve Witkoff who acted on behalf of the American president. “I hope we'll continue this useful conversation,” he said.

Putin and Trump are set to meet in Anchorage, the largest city of the US state of Alaska, later on Friday in a bid to find common ground to end the war in Ukraine, which continues since February 2022.

Lavrov arrived in the US state for a meeting with an American delegation wearing a sweatshirt with "USSR" written on it.

Some analysts said the minister wanted to remind that Russia and the US were allies during World War II, and Alaska is the place which, in many respects, serves as a link between the two countries.

Alaska was once a Russian region, and was sold by Tsar Alexander II to the US for $7.2 million in 1867. During World War II, the US supplied arms to the USSR under the Land-Lease program.

Three of five members of the Russian delegation have so far arrived in Alaska – Lavrov, presidential envoy for economic issues Kirill Dmitriyev, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.

Defense Minister Andrey Belousov is expected to reach later in the day, while presidential aide Yury Ushakov will come along with Putin who stopped in the Magadan region on his way to Alaska to address some internal policy issues.