Putin-Zelensky meeting impossible before settlement terms finalized — Kremlin spokesman

Putin-Zelensky meeting impossible before settlement terms finalized — Kremlin spokesman

The Kremlin has ruled out any meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the finalization of settlement terms, effectively precluding a top-level meeting in the near future and casting doubt on further progress in peace talks within the 50-day deadline set by the Trump administration [1].

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that any meeting between the two leaders could only take place after a draft settlement was reached, directly rejecting Zelensky’s call on Thursday for a meeting with Putin to move the stalled peace process forward. Peskov stated, "A summit meeting can and should put an end to the settlement and formalize the modalities and agreements that are to be worked out in the course of expert work. It is impossible to do the opposite. Is it possible to complete such a complex process in 30 days? Obviously, it is unlikely."

Zelensky, on the other hand, has emphasized that negotiating an end to the war probably begins with a meeting of leaders and that it won't work any other way with them. He stated, "We need an agenda for such a meeting—a meeting at the level of leaders."

The Trump administration has been back and forth on its support for Ukraine, pausing weapons deliveries to assess stockpiles and then announcing a $10 billion plan to have Europe provide sophisticated but costly weapons like Patriot air defense systems. NATO allies would then purchase replacements from the United States. Zelensky has stated that he has received confirmation from Germany for two systems and from Norway for one, while the State Department has announced a flurry of military sales to Ukraine this week totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

A key difference in negotiations has been Trump’s demand for an immediate ceasefire, which Ukraine has accepted and Moscow has rejected. The Ukrainian side, under intense Russian pressure on the battlefield, has called for the ceasefire to pave the way for peace talks. Trump has indicated that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky could happen but should have happened three months ago and that secondary sanctions on Russia could be imposed sooner than his 50-day deadline.

Putin remains confident that his forces can advance and eventually force Ukraine’s capitulation, and is determined to fight on until Kyiv accepts Moscow’s conditions, insisting that talks take place without a ceasefire. Peskov has repeatedly ruled out a meeting of leaders before a draft settlement is agreed, stating that the two sides’ positions are “diametrically opposed” and that it is unlikely that they can be reconciled overnight.

A meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials on Wednesday lasted just 40 minutes, indicating that the sides remain far apart and have so far failed to agree even on the basic parameters of the talks. The main achievement of talks so far has been prisoner exchanges, with agreement on Wednesday for the exchange of 1,200 more prisoners in the near future.

Russia is also seeking to add a layer to the peace negotiations that could possibly bog down talks into multiple complex processes. The head of Russia’s delegation at the talks, Vladimir Medinsky, said after Wednesday’s meeting that Russia proposed three new working groups on political, military, and humanitarian issues, raising the possibility that while prisoner exchanges could advance, political and military issues could remain stalemated. Russia has demanded that both sides draft memorandums on the parameters of the talks, effectively stalling the process.

In May, Zelensky unsuccessfully pressed Putin to fly to Istanbul to meet him for talks on a ceasefire. Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky earlier said that Moscow had requested a UN Security Council meeting on July 31 to discuss "attempts to derail the direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiating track in Istanbul."

The situation remains complex and uncertain, with both sides far apart in their positions and negotiations at a standstill. The Trump administration’s 50-day deadline for a peace deal to be reached before the United States imposes new sanctions on Russia is fast approaching, adding further pressure to the negotiations.

References:
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/07/25/russia-ukraine-putin-zelensky-meeting/