Tuesday, 26 August, 2025
Russia on Friday dismissed any immediate possibility of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tensions continued to rise and US-led mediation efforts appeared increasingly stalled.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told NBC’s Meet the Press that "no meeting" between the two leaders was currently planned. He added that while Putin was “ready to meet Zelensky” once an agenda was prepared, “the agenda is not ready at all,” highlighting Moscow’s insistence on preconditions before talks could proceed. Lavrov also questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy and reiterated the Kremlin’s maximalist positions on territorial and security issues.
The announcement comes amid a high-profile visit to Kyiv by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, NATO’s incoming chair, aimed at discussing security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelensky, speaking alongside Rutte, stressed that Ukraine had “no agreements with the Russians,” clarifying that only discussions with US President Donald Trump had taken place regarding potential diplomatic directions. Zelensky earlier accused Moscow of "trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting," claiming Russia intends to continue its military offensive.
President Trump had earlier raised hopes of a swift summit, suggesting that both leaders had agreed to meet following Zelensky’s and Rutte’s visit to the White House. Trump also claimed Russia had agreed in principle to some Western security guarantees for Kyiv, but Moscow quickly dismissed such assurances as "a utopia, a road to nowhere." Lavrov further said Ukraine had rejected Washington’s proposed principles, including restrictions on NATO membership and territorial arrangements, which remain key sticking points.
The issue of security guarantees has become central to ongoing efforts to broker peace, with Western leaders stressing the need to ensure Russia will "never again attempt to take one square kilometre of Ukraine," as Rutte put it. Zelensky has called for the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression, but the Kremlin has consistently rejected foreign military involvement, citing NATO ambitions as a primary pretext for its invasion.
The broader conflict, now entering its fourth year, has its roots in Moscow’s violation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan relinquished Soviet-era nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances. Russia first breached the agreement with its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and then launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, causing tens of thousands of deaths and displacing millions.
The latest developments underline the fragility of diplomatic engagement. Analysts warn that the absence of a clear agenda, combined with entrenched positions on territorial and security issues, makes a direct Putin-Zelensky summit unlikely in the near term. Meanwhile, Kyiv continues to rally international support, seeking security guarantees and strategic backing from the US and European allies, even as air raid alerts and continued military pressure highlight the ongoing volatility on the ground.
The coming weeks are likely to test both the durability of US-led mediation and Moscow’s willingness to engage in meaningful negotiations, with the fate of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity hanging in the balance.
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Russia on Friday dismissed any immediate possibility of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tensions continued to rise and US-led mediation efforts appeared increasingly stalled.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told NBC’s Meet the Press that "no meeting" between the two leaders was currently planned. He added that while Putin was “ready to meet Zelensky” once an agenda was prepared, “the agenda is not ready at all,” highlighting Moscow’s insistence on preconditions before talks could proceed. Lavrov also questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy and reiterated the Kremlin’s maximalist positions on territorial and security issues.
The announcement comes amid a high-profile visit to Kyiv by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, NATO’s incoming chair, aimed at discussing security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelensky, speaking alongside Rutte, stressed that Ukraine had “no agreements with the Russians,” clarifying that only discussions with US President Donald Trump had taken place regarding potential diplomatic directions. Zelensky earlier accused Moscow of "trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting," claiming Russia intends to continue its military offensive.
President Trump had earlier raised hopes of a swift summit, suggesting that both leaders had agreed to meet following Zelensky’s and Rutte’s visit to the White House. Trump also claimed Russia had agreed in principle to some Western security guarantees for Kyiv, but Moscow quickly dismissed such assurances as "a utopia, a road to nowhere." Lavrov further said Ukraine had rejected Washington’s proposed principles, including restrictions on NATO membership and territorial arrangements, which remain key sticking points.
The issue of security guarantees has become central to ongoing efforts to broker peace, with Western leaders stressing the need to ensure Russia will "never again attempt to take one square kilometre of Ukraine," as Rutte put it. Zelensky has called for the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression, but the Kremlin has consistently rejected foreign military involvement, citing NATO ambitions as a primary pretext for its invasion.
The broader conflict, now entering its fourth year, has its roots in Moscow’s violation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan relinquished Soviet-era nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances. Russia first breached the agreement with its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and then launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, causing tens of thousands of deaths and displacing millions.
The latest developments underline the fragility of diplomatic engagement. Analysts warn that the absence of a clear agenda, combined with entrenched positions on territorial and security issues, makes a direct Putin-Zelensky summit unlikely in the near term. Meanwhile, Kyiv continues to rally international support, seeking security guarantees and strategic backing from the US and European allies, even as air raid alerts and continued military pressure highlight the ongoing volatility on the ground.
The coming weeks are likely to test both the durability of US-led mediation and Moscow’s willingness to engage in meaningful negotiations, with the fate of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity hanging in the balance.
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