Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has sparked outrage by arriving at the crucial Putin-Trump summit in Alaska wearing a provocative Soviet Union sweatshirt emblazoned with “CCCP” – a move widely seen as trolling Ukraine and the West.
The 75-year-old diplomat was photographed exiting a vehicle outside the summit venue in Anchorage sporting the controversial garment beneath a gilet, with the Russian abbreviation for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics clearly visible on his chest.
The sartorial choice has been interpreted as a deliberately inflammatory gesture towards Ukraine, which endured 69 years of Soviet rule marked by political repression, the Holodomor genocide of the 1930s that killed millions, and the catastrophic Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986.
Video footage shows Lavrov being questioned by reporters as he arrived at the hotel hosting the high-stakes meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
When asked about his predictions for the summit, Lavrov refused to speculate, stating: “We never try to anticipate the outcome or make any guesses. What we do know, however, is that we have arguments we can contribute to the discussion and that our position is clear. We will present it.”
The sweatshirt, identified as a £107 item from Russian clothing brand SelSovet founded in Chelyabinsk in 2017, immediately triggered widespread condemnation on social media, with commentators noting it displayed Russia’s uncompromising stance ahead of the critical talks.
Ukrainian officials and supporters expressed fury at what they viewed as a calculated insult, particularly given the timing as world leaders gathered to potentially decide Ukraine’s territorial future without President Volodymyr Zelensky present at the negotiations.
The provocative fashion statement comes as Putin travelled to the Pacific Coast in an armoured motorcade ahead of the 11am Alaska time (7pm GMT) summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, with footage showing a long line of black vehicles speeding along sealed-off roads in Magadan, flanked by police escorts and an ambulance.
Trump, who extended the invitation at Putin’s suggestion, has warned the meeting could end “within minutes” if the Russian leader refuses to compromise on Ukraine. The US president told reporters yesterday: “I am president, and he’s not going to mess around with me.”
If it’s a bad meeting, it’ll end very quickly, and if it’s a good meeting, we’re going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future,” Trump said, giving the summit just a 25 per cent chance of failure.
The talks, marking the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders since 2018, are being closely watched by European leaders and President Zelensky, who has publicly refused Trump’s pressure to surrender territory seized by Russia.
Lavrov arrived as part of a high-level Russian delegation including presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev.
Pro-Ukrainian demonstrators took to the streets of Anchorage on Thursday evening, waving Ukrainian flags and holding banners in support of the embattled nation ahead of the summit that could determine the fate of territories occupied by Russian forces.
The choice of Alaska as the summit location carries its own historical irony – the territory was sold by Russia to the United States in 1867 for $7.2 million, a fact the Kremlin has cited when discussing potential land swaps in Ukraine.
Trump has promised to consult with European leaders and Zelensky following the meeting, suggesting any final agreement would require a three-way summit to “divvy up” territory – a prospect that has alarmed Ukrainian officials and their allies.
The US president, who previously boasted of his relationship with Putin and vowed to bring peace within 24 hours of taking office, has struck a more cautious tone ahead of today’s talks, describing it as merely a “feel-out meeting” to test Putin’s willingness to negotiate.
Lavrov’s Soviet shirt serves as a stark reminder of Moscow’s historical claims over former USSR territories, sending an unmistakable message about Russia’s negotiating position as the world watches whether diplomacy can end Europe’s largest conflict since World War Two.
The summit represents Trump’s most significant foreign policy test since returning to the White House, with the president facing criticism for excluding Ukraine from talks that could reshape its borders and determine its sovereignty for generations to come.
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