Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in Alaska, and his slightly concealed sweater appeared to be printed with the letters CCCP, the Russian abbreviation for the USSR, writes Politico.
Lavrov is part of the Russian delegation for talks scheduled for the 15th of August between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The Russian foreign minister wore a vest over the sweater, leaving only the letter “CC” visible.
Lavrov has arrived for the meeting in a shirt that says СССР (USSR). https://t.co/D5yrC2MFhD pic.twitter.com/h5HYuvTrob
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 15, 2025
The Russian regime has repeatedly used nostalgia for the Soviet Union to achieve its goals, with Putin calling the collapse of the USSR in 2005 the greatest political catastrophe of the 20th century. Moscow’s longing for a return to the past is also linked to its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the start of a full-scale war. Trump hopes he can broker a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Before entering politics, Putin worked for the Soviet intelligence service, the KGB.
He was a mid-level officer in Dresden, then in communist-ruled East Germany, in the late 1980s. Kiev and its Western allies fear that Putin will use the techniques he learned as a spy to outwit Trump in a face-to-face meeting.
Trump, who is eager to be the one to end the war, has said there is a 25 percent chance the Alaska summit will fail. In that case, he will hold a one-on-one press conference to announce that the war will continue.
Journalists also asked Lavrov about the possible outcome of the talks, who replied that the Russians never expect a specific outcome and do not speculate: “What we know is that we have arguments for discussion, and that our position is clear. In fact, a lot has already been done.”
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