Kremlin indicates Putin-Zelensky meeting unlikely before August amid ongoing Russia-Ukraine negotiations
Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggested that a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could only occur after all necessary groundwork had been established to bring concrete results to the table. As reported by the Russian Information Agency (RIA), citing Kremlin sources, such a meeting is unlikely before the end of August.
Peskov did not offer specifics on what constitutes "all the work" or how the groundwork would be secured. Commenting on the third round of direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations held previously, Peskov noted that Russia laid out a "constructive agenda aimed at substantive work, capable of delivering tangible results," according to the Interfax news agency.
During the latest round of negotiations in Istanbul, Ukraine suggested holding a high-level summit in August. This move aligns with the deadline of a 50-day window set by U.S. President Donald Trump for reaching a peace agreement in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Though no major breakthroughs were anticipated from the third round of talks in Istanbul, Peskov noted a positive outlook toward the discussion of humanitarian issues. He emphasized, however, that the approaches of the two sides are "diametrically opposed" when discussing the memorandum drafts.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, the Russian proposals are "necessary and important for either side," with a mention of Russia's suggestion to establish three online-working groups for ongoing communication. "We’ll see how these proposals resonate in Kyiv," Peskov added.
In these talks, which took place on July 23, the Ukrainian delegation was led by Rustem Umerov, former Ukrainian Defense Minister and now Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC). The Russian delegation was headed by Vladimir Medinsky, a presidential aide and author of Russian history textbooks.
Only about 40 minutes elapsed between the official start and end of the negotiations, as per the TASS news agency. The two sides reportedly agreed to prisoner exchanges of military and civilian personnel.
According to Umerov, Kyiv is prepared to enforce a ceasefire and urged Moscow to adopt a constructive approach, reported various agencies. Yet, just hours after the talks concluded, Russia launched further strikes on Ukraine, targeting locations including Odessa and Kharkiv.
The first round of talks took place on May 16 at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul. During the second round on June 2, Russia and Ukraine decided to exchange severely wounded military personnel and prisoners aged up to 25, and hand over to each other 6,000 bodies of soldiers who died in the war.