This is reported by Kyiv24
The Kremlin has stated that a personal meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of August is unlikely. This was reported by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in response to journalists’ questions regarding the possibility of direct negotiations between the leaders of the two countries.
Kremlin’s Position on Negotiations
Dmitry Peskov emphasized that it is currently difficult to predict whether such a meeting will take place in the coming months. He noted that significant work is needed to bring the positions of the parties closer together, as well as to ensure the interests of the Russian Federation. According to Peskov, this process cannot happen quickly or abruptly.
“We live in a time when it is impossible to say with certainty that something will not happen. However, considering the volume of work that needs to be done to align positions, it is hard for us to imagine how this distance can be crossed abruptly in order to secure our interests.”
Ukraine’s Proposals and Moscow’s Reaction
During negotiations in Istanbul, the Ukrainian side proposed to hold a personal meeting between Zelensky and Putin by the end of summer, with the participation of U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, as in previous cases, Moscow did not agree to this proposal, indicating the Russian side’s reluctance to engage in dialogue at the highest level.
Experts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that Russian officials are merely simulating interest in peace negotiations. In particular, Moscow once again sent a mid-level delegation to the talks, which analysts believe demonstrates a lack of genuine interest in resolving the conflict.
Russian officials publicly reiterated their demands in June and July 2025, which effectively amount to Ukraine’s capitulation. The Kremlin continues to insist on new rounds of negotiations, but the demands remain consistently rigid.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Vladimir Putin articulated goals of “denazification” and “demilitarization” of Ukraine. Now he and his subordinates speak of the need to eliminate the so-called “root causes” of the war, which include NATO’s eastward expansion and Ukraine’s aspirations to become a member of the Alliance in the future.