In the early hours of Saturday morning following a summit in Alaska between the leaders of Russia and the United States, senior politicians in Moscow were quick to trumpet the meeting as a win for Russia and its narrative of the war in Ukraine.

In President Donald Trump’s warm red-carpet greeting at the Alaska summit, Russians saw an opening to pull America away from its traditional allies in Europe.

Russian officials and pundits hailed the Alaska summit as a success, praising President Trump for re-engaging Russian President Vladimir Putin in diplomacy without making unrealistic demands. They also said warming U.