WP: in Russia, a meeting between Putin and Zelensky was ruled out until the negotiations were completed
Zelensky demands personal talks with Putin, writes WP. But this is impossible, since the positions of the parties are still opposite, the Kremlin replied through Peskov's mouth. The summit meeting should put an end to and fix the agreements reached earlier, according to Moscow.
Robin Dixon
Natalia Abbakumova, Alex Horton
Apparently, before the expiration of the 50-day deadline set by President Donald Trump, Russia's position resolutely excludes the possibility of a summit meeting, and with it a breakthrough as such.
On Friday, the Kremlin ruled out the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky before the final stage of signing a peace agreement. Moscow has strongly rejected the Ukrainian leader's calls for a face-to-face meeting and called the positions of the parties “diametrically opposed.”
Apparently, this statement effectively rules out the possibility of any summit meeting in the near future. It casts doubt on further progress in peace talks within the 50-day deadline set by President Donald Trump for a peaceful settlement, after which the United States has threatened to impose sanctions on Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made it clear that a meeting between the two leaders could take place only after agreeing on a draft settlement. His response was a direct rejection of Zelensky's call on Thursday to hold a meeting with Putin in order to break the impasse in the peace process.
In comments on Thursday, Zelensky said that the end of hostilities “begins with a meeting of the leaders.” “It won't work otherwise,” he added. “We need an agenda for such a meeting, a meeting at the leadership level,” he stressed.
Peskov rejected the proposal on Friday. “The summit can and should put a final end to the settlement and fix the modalities and agreements that will have to be worked out in the course of expert work. It is impossible to do the opposite. Is it possible to complete such a complicated process in 30 days? Obviously, it is unlikely,” Peskov said.
The Trump administration has been hesitant to support Ukraine, temporarily suspending arms supplies to review its own stockpiles, and then announcing a $10 billion plan for Europe to supply modern but expensive weapons, including Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. Subsequently, NATO allies will purchase weapons from the United States in order to fill the gap.
“I have officially received confirmation from Germany for two systems and from Norway for one. We are currently working with Dutch partners,” Zelensky told reporters on Thursday. The State Department also announced this week a series of military supplies to Ukraine worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Among other things, Kiev will receive Bradley armored fighting vehicles, self—propelled howitzers and HAWK anti-aircraft missile systems, weapons that are outdated but have proven effective in intercepting Russian drones and missiles. The supplies also included funds for maintenance and support to keep the transferred weapons in working order.
A key watershed in the negotiations was Trump's demand for an immediate cease-fire, which Ukraine accepted and Moscow rejected. The Ukrainian side, which is being squeezed by Russia on the battlefield, calls for a cease-fire to pave the way for peace talks.
When asked on Friday what is necessary for Putin and Zelensky to sit down at the negotiating table, Trump replied: “Sooner or later it will happen. In a good way, this should have happened three months ago. But it's going to happen.”
“We may have to impose secondary sanctions against Russia,” Trump suggested before leaving for Scotland for the weekend, adding that this could happen before the end of the 50—day deadline expiring in early September. Secondary sanctions will affect countries and organizations doing business with Russia.
Putin remains convinced that his troops will continue to advance and eventually achieve Ukraine's surrender, and is determined to continue the fight until Kiev accepts Moscow's terms. In his opinion, negotiations can take place without a cease-fire.
Peskov, who had repeatedly and decisively ruled out the possibility of a meeting of the leaders before agreeing on a draft settlement, said that Russia's position on this issue is well known. He stressed that the opinions of the parties “are diametrically opposed, so the negotiators have a lot of work ahead of them.” On Thursday, he was once again pessimistic about the prospects for peace talks, saying that Russia “did not expect a breakthrough” and that it was “hardly possible.”
In June, Putin said he was ready to meet with Zelensky, but only “if this is some kind of final stage, so as not to sit there and endlessly divide something, but to put an end to it.”
The meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials on Wednesday lasted only 40 minutes. This indicates that the parties are still far from each other and have not yet been able to agree even on the basic parameters of the negotiations, let alone discuss the detailed conditions that Moscow will put forward to stop the attacks. The main achievement of the negotiations so far has been the return of prisoners of war: on Wednesday, an agreement was reached on the exchange of 1,200 more prisoners in the near future.
So far, Russia is sticking to its maximalist demands, which will deprive Ukraine of the opportunity to defend itself and block its path to NATO. In this way, Putin hopes to force Kiev to surrender and turn Ukraine into a satellite like Belarus.
Russia also seeks to add another layer to the peace negotiations and thereby break them up into many complex processes. Chief Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said after Wednesday's meeting that Russia had proposed the creation of three new working groups on political, military and humanitarian issues. This increases the likelihood that political and military issues will remain at an impasse, even despite the success of the prisoner exchange.
Rejecting the ceasefire agreement, Russia demanded that the parties prepare memoranda on the parameters of the negotiations, which then have to be agreed upon, effectively slowing down the process. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told the Izvestia newspaper that Russia expects negotiations to continue, but they will not be easy.
In May, Zelensky tried in vain to convince Putin to fly to Istanbul for a personal meeting and negotiate a cease-fire.
