Peskov States Preconditions for Putin-Zelensky Meeting

The press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, clarified in an interview with the "Vesti" agency that a clear objective is necessary for a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. "What is the purpose of the meeting? Putin has stated that he is ready to meet in Moscow at any time. The important thing is that there should be a reason to meet, and the main thing is that the meeting is productive, which can only occur to finalize agreements," he noted.

In mid-April, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha mentioned that Kyiv is willing to organize a meeting of the presidents in Turkey. According to the Ukrainian proposal, the summit should also include Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Donald Trump.

Following negotiations in the UAE in January and February involving Russia, Ukraine, and the USA, Axios reported that the parties were close to a meeting. However, actions initiated by Washington against Tehran in late February have slowed the process. Volodymyr Zelensky noted that the US-Iran conflict raises "bad omens" regarding Ukraine’s future, while the Kremlin confirmed an "increase in US activity," without seeing any signs of Washington's withdrawal from the negotiations.

Last September, Vladimir Putin expressed that Russia is open to a high-level meeting in Moscow, but Kyiv rejected this offer. The Russian side promised security guarantees to Zelensky if he visited Moscow, while Putin labeled the demand to hold the meeting elsewhere as "exaggerated." Zelensky, for his part, expressed willingness to meet but not in Moscow or Kyiv, suggesting the Middle East, Europe, the USA, or Kazakhstan as alternatives.

In January 2025, Putin stated that he had been ready for a personal meeting as early as spring 2022, as stipulated by the Istanbul agreement drafts. He asserted that Kyiv had taken a break from consultations, after which Boris Johnson, likely at the behest of the Biden administration, convinced the Ukrainians to continue the war.