Russian State Duma Defense Committee member, General Viktor Sobolev, cautioned against placing too much hope on U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking about the scheduled talks, Sobolev argued that Washington was maneuvering diplomatically, but its policies ultimately aligned with prolonging the conflict in Ukraine. He noted that, in his view, both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European nations had a direct interest in seeing the war continue. Sobolev remarked that while the United States may appear to shift its position, its actions were still geared toward sustaining the hostilities. Because of this, he urged Russia to prepare for all possible scenarios and stressed the importance of further strengthening the country’s military and defense industry. The meeting between Putin and Trump is set for August 15 in Anchorage, Alaska, at 11:30 a.m. local time (10:30 p.m. Moscow time).