"Mr. Putin is ready to meet Mr. Zelensky once the agenda for the summit is ready, but the agenda is not ready yet," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with NBC News today. "There are no plans for a meeting at this time."
Lavrov said Putin had agreed to be "flexible" on some issues that Trump raised during their summit in Alaska last week. He accused Ukraine of not showing similar flexibility in a subsequent meeting with American and European leaders in Washington.
"Mr. Trump made it very clear, and everyone saw it clearly, that there are certain principles that Washington believes must be agreed upon, including Ukraine not joining NATO and the need to discuss the territorial issue. But Mr. Zelensky said no to everything," Lavrov commented.
"Mr. Zelensky even refused to repeal the law banning the Russian language. How can we meet with someone who is only pretending to be a leader?", the Russian foreign minister added.
 |
Foreign Minister Lavrov at a press conference in Moscow, Russia on 21/8. Photo: AP |
Foreign Minister Lavrov at a press conference in Moscow, Russia on 21/8. Photo: AP
Russia has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, arguing that his 5-year term ended in 5/2024 and the country has not yet held elections. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected this accusation, asserting that the decision to postpone the election is constitutional because the country is at war and under martial law.
NBC News writes that Ukraine has not banned the Russian language, contrary to Lavrov's statement. Russia has long accused Ukraine of discriminating against Russian speakers in Donbas.
On 22/8, President Zelensky accused Moscow of doing everything possible to prevent a Russia-Ukraine summit from taking place. He called on Kyiv's allies to impose new sanctions on Moscow if Russia continues to show no intention of ending the war.
 |
President Zelensky (left) and President Putin. Photo: AFP |
President Zelensky (left) and President Putin. Photo: AFP
After meeting with Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on 18/8, President Trump said he had called Putin and was arranging a Russia-Ukraine summit. However, subsequent developments suggest that the prospects for peace talks are becoming increasingly slim.
On 21/8, Trump set a two-week timeframe to assess the prospects for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, warning that the US could "choose a different approach".
Trump had previously set a deadline of 8/8 for Russia to agree to end the war in Ukraine, or the US would impose sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its oil. However, Trump took no action after the deadline passed and agreed to meet Putin in Alaska.
Pham Giang (According to Reuters, NBC News)
