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François Hollande had foreseen it. Putin will start the meeting by repeating the whole story (ed.: that is, what has historically preceded, in his opinion, in relation to the subject under discussion). He could talk for an hour, or even more, if no one interrupts him. The Russian method of negotiation wants the conversation to last a long time, but for nothing important to happen (ed.: not to end anywhere)…, the former French president had stated, speaking to the FT, before the meeting that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin were to have last August in Alaska.

Hollande, as president of France from 2012 to 2017, had taken part in talks with Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Ukraine, in the context of the second Minsk Agreement (Minsk II), for example. So he knew what he was talking about.

In retrospect, almost two months after the meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin in Alaska, the scenario that Hollande had presented as possible, namely the long Russian historical lecture by Putin that leads nowhere, is revealed to have actually been implemented at the Alaska meeting, to the extent that what the FT reports in their lengthy publication citing sources who allegedly know what took place away from the cameras is true.

Donald Trump arrived in Alaska expecting to strike a deal with Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Instead, the Russian president flatly rejected the American’s offer and launched into a lengthy historic lecture , writes the Financial Times, arguing that – despite the glittering wrap and the flattery in front of the cameras – the Anchorage Summit was a nadir in the relationship between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin, one that was to change the way the two leaders have approached each other ever since.

According to the FT, citing sources with knowledge of the content of the Alaskan messages, Trump asked Putin to proceed with a ceasefire, offering him the lifting of US sanctions in return.

The Russian president, however, rejected this American offer and counterattacked, demanding the capitulation of Ukraine and the annexation of even more territory in the Donbas region. Then, according to the FT, the Russian leader made a historical flashback that reached back to the Middle Ages, bringing up references to Rurik of Novgorod and Yaroslav the Wise, but as a result the American president lost his patience.

Trump raised his voice several times and at one point threatened to walk out. He eventually interrupted the meeting and canceled a planned lunch during which extended delegations from the two countries were to discuss economic cooperation, the FT writes, emphasizing that the Alaska Summit was a turning point, but with a negative connotation: A nadir in the Trump-Putin relationship that triggered a US turn in favor of Ukraine.

Indeed, at least in terms of statements, Trump seems to have changed his line on Ukraine in the last two months.

From where he once accused Kiev of starting the war and rejected – along with Russia, Belarus and North Korea – resolutions in favor of Ukrainian territorial integrity at the UN, he suddenly found himself describing Russia as a paper tiger and seeing scenarios of a Ukrainian victory.

From where he once defended Russia against the G7 countries and humiliated Zelensky in front of the cameras during his visit to the White House, he suddenly found himself criticizing Russia as an aggressor and leaving open the possibility of supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

The American president's moods could, of course, change again in the future, as they have changed in the past, especially if the long telephone conversation he had yesterday with Vladimir Putin bears (Russian) fruit.

However, if what the FT writes about the Alaska Summit is true, then sometimes things are not as they seem, which complicates assessments of the future of Ukraine a few hours before the meeting that Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky are expected to have in Washington today.