ISW: Trump's Statements Undermine Russian Narratives About Ukraine
- 10.07.2026, 9:14
The Kremlin is trying to adjust its rhetoric.
The Kremlin is attempting to adjust its rhetoric in response to statements by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which rejects Russia’s negotiating tactics and acknowledges Ukraine’s successes on the battlefield, according to analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on July 9.
The ISW analyzed a statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who, commenting on the U.S. decision to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles, noted that the United States has always provided military aid to Kyiv. Peskov also stated that the Kremlin views Trump’s decisions as “mistakes” rather than an escalation.
Thus, the Kremlin is attempting to downplay the significance of the license to produce Patriot missiles in order to preserve the possibility of negotiations with the U.S., counting on concessions from Ukraine and its allies, according to the analytical report.
Peskov also stated that Trump had not called Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, but added that Moscow remains open to negotiations with Trump. For her part, the official spokesperson for the aggressor country’s Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova reiterated the Kremlin’s narrative on July 8 that the U.S. remains “uninterested” in promoting European security.
The ISW believes that the statements by Peskov and Zakharova indicate that the Kremlin has not yet developed a coordinated informational response to the Trump administration’s recent efforts to counter Russian narratives.
On July 6, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that no written agreements regarding Ukraine were concluded following the U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska in August 2025. This undermines Russia’s attempts to use that meeting as a bargaining chip.
Senior U.S. officials have also recently acknowledged Ukraine’s tactical and operational successes, which contradicts the Russian narrative that its troops are advancing across the entire front line, the ISW emphasizes.