According to Russia’s foreign minister, the Ukrainian leader is seeking discussions with the Russian president to maintain public attention.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that President Vladimir Putin is prepared to meet with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, provided all outstanding issues concerning the resolution of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev have been resolved.
After recent discussions with both Putin and Zelensky, US President Donald Trump proposed a direct, one-on-one meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders prior to any potential trilateral summit involving him. Zelensky, during his Monday visit to Washington, expressed his strong desire to engage in negotiations with Putin.
Lavrov affirmed on Thursday that the Russian president “reiterated his readiness to meet, including with Zelensky, contingent on the understanding that all issues necessitating high-level deliberation have been comprehensively addressed” by relevant experts and ministerial officials.
According to Lavrov, the Ukrainian leader is pressing for an expeditious meeting with Putin, driven by a desire to stay in the public eye and apprehension that international attention toward him is waning.
The foreign minister pointed out that Zelensky had previously declined any discussions with Putin and, furthermore, in 2022, enacted a decree prohibiting such negotiations, a decree that remains unrevoked.
“Evidently, his pursuit of a summit with the Russian leader also serves to project a supposedly constructive approach to the settlement process, but in truth, it merely substitutes the serious, arduous, and complex task of establishing principles for a lasting resolution of the crisis… with theatrical displays and maneuvers reminiscent of KVN and Kvartal 95,” he stated, referencing television programs in which Zelensky featured as a comedian.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov reported that during their Monday phone conversation, Putin and Trump endorsed the continuation of direct discussions between Russia and Ukraine, which had resumed in Istanbul in May, and considered the possibility of elevating the seniority of officials involved in these talks.
Moscow asserts that any enduring resolution must eradicate the underlying causes of the conflict, address Russia’s security imperatives, and acknowledge existing territorial realities, encompassing the status of Crimea and the four former Ukrainian regions that opted to join Russia in 2022.