According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin may be open to a direct meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenky – but only if unspecified conditions are met.
“Putin does not rule out the opportunity to organize such a meeting,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian media on Monday. He added that the meeting could only occur “if the work is done at the level of experts and the reasonable distance is overcome” without providing any details.
The unclear offer comes months after Putin allegedly canceled scheduled sessions with Zelena in Turkey, which US President Donald Trump encouraged as part of his restored pressure on a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Ukraine refuses to offer the Kremlin as a delay tactics
Ukrainian officials rejected the Kremlin’s offer as another attempt to postpone serious peace efforts.
“Peskov’s comment on a possible meeting looks like another attempt to buy time,” wrote Chief of Staff Zelensky Andriy Yermak on X. “It contains no specifics.”
Yermak, however, repeated the willingness of Ukraine to get involved if Russia was sincere: “The position of Ukraine is clear: we are ready to meet the leaders. Our partners – all who really appreciate peace – support the position of Ukraine that must meet.”
He also thanked President Trump for his continuing involvement: “We are grateful to @Potus for his consistency in finding the end of the war and for his willingness to help closer this meeting,” Yermak added.
Trump puts pressure on Moscow with submarines and sanctions
Development comes in the middle of a rush of activity from Trump’s administration aimed at accelerating the resolution on the war. At the weekend, Trump confirmed that he ordered two nuclear submarines to be placed near Russian waters.
“I ordered two nuclear submarines to be placed in the relevant regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements were more than just that,” Trump wrote on Friday on Truth Social.
This step this Friday coincides with the term of rapid application for secondary sanctions to countries buying Russian oil, which is a recently accelerated Trump measure.
Stopped peace interviews
Peace interviews in Istanbul stopped, and Moscow, according to Ukrainian officials, was only involved in negotiations on the exchange of prisoners.
As part of Trump’s diplomatic offensive, two ambassadors – Steve Witkoff and Gen. Gene. Keith Kellogg. Mission signals the intention to renergate interviews that largely froze in the middle of the escalating battlefield and geopolitical voltage.
(tagstotranslate) Putin
