Kremlin Casts Doubt on Immediate Zelensky Summit as Trump Navigates Complex Peace Push
Kremlin Casts Doubt on Immediate Zelensky Summit as Trump Navigates Complex Peace Push
Hopes for a swift resolution to the conflict in Ukraine face new hurdles today as the Kremlin continues to downplay the prospect of an imminent summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. This comes even as former President Donald Trump, fresh from recent high-level talks, renews his call for direct negotiations to end hostilities.
Following his meeting with President Putin in Alaska last week and subsequent discussions with European leaders and President Zelensky at the White House on Monday, Trump admitted the conflict’s complexity. On Tuesday, he conceded that Putin might not be interested in a peace deal, stating, “It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal.” Despite initially advocating for a three-way summit, Trump now suggests a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky might be more effective, offering to join only “if necessary.”
While Putin indicated an openness to direct talks with Ukraine on Monday, his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov quickly tempered expectations on Tuesday, stressing that any meeting would require gradual preparation, starting at an expert level – a familiar non-committal stance from the Kremlin. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy representative to the UN, reiterated that direct talks haven’t been rejected, but cautioned against a “meeting for the sake of a meeting.”
Amidst these diplomatic maneuvers, military discussions are also underway. NATO’s military chiefs are scheduled to hold a virtual meeting today (Wednesday), and the UK’s military chief, Admiral Tony Radakin, is traveling to Washington for talks on deploying a reassurance force in Ukraine. Reports indicate Putin had suggested Zelensky travel to Moscow for talks, a proposal widely seen as a non-starter for Kyiv.
Trump’s recent engagements appear to have deepened his understanding of the war’s intricacies and the significant divide between Moscow and Kyiv. While his previously vaunted ceasefire has not materialized, the US president is now advocating for a direct move to a permanent peace deal, with a new emphasis on robust security guarantees for Ukraine – a point successfully impressed upon him by Zelensky and European leaders.
On Tuesday, Trump offered conditional US air support if European nations provided ground troops in the event of a ceasefire or peace deal, though he explicitly ruled out deploying American forces. Separately, the France and UK-led “coalition of the willing” confirmed it is actively developing plans for a reassurance force in Ukraine, with a meeting planned with US counterparts in the coming days to solidify these critical security commitments.
Despite the “tremendous bad blood” between Putin and Zelensky, who last met in 2019, Trump believes direct talks could pave the way for peace. However, Moscow’s continued baseless claims about Kyiv’s leadership and its current military advantage on the front line make a swift agreement challenging. Nevertheless, European leaders and President Zelensky remain keen on a bilateral meeting, with Geneva and Budapest floated as potential neutral grounds, though Budapest’s suitability is questioned due to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s close ties to Moscow.
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