The Kremlin has announced the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; however, Moscow has set a clear condition for its occurrence.
This is reported by Finway
Conditions for the Meeting and the Kremlin’s Position
As stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, such a meeting can only take place at the stage of finalizing agreements between the parties. According to him, Moscow currently does not see any political will from the “Kyiv regime” to resolve the conflict.
Peskov also emphasized that Russia is ready to accept American negotiators at any moment, even “as soon as tomorrow.”
Ukrainian Initiative and the Role of Turkey and the USA
Recently, Ukraine reached out to Turkey with a proposal to consider organizing negotiations between Zelensky and Putin. This was reported by Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha. He stated that Kyiv hopes for an active role from Ankara in accelerating the peace settlement.
“The only thing is that Putin is currently hiding. The Ukrainian president is ready for such a meeting. We want to end this war. We have effective proposals.”
The proposal also includes the participation of the Presidents of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the USA, Donald Trump, who currently holds the position of President of the United States. Ankara has already received this initiative for consideration.
Political science candidate Oleksiy Buryachenko believes that a potential meeting between Zelensky and Putin could serve as an impetus for the diplomatic process. However, according to the expert, a key condition for its success is the presence of the U.S. President at the negotiations. Buryachenko emphasizes that without Trump’s involvement, the likelihood of Putin agreeing to dialogue with Zelensky significantly decreases, as the Kremlin currently holds advantages in several areas, including energy, finance, and politics. According to the expert, Trump could be the factor that pushes Russia towards constructive negotiations.
Political analyst Andriy Smoliy believes that Putin plans to continue military actions at least until the end of 2028, as long as the current leadership remains in the USA.