Trump enthusiastically promoted the idea of a three -sided peak involving himself, Putin and Zelanski as the best road to the end of the Kremlin war with Ukraine. Russia, however, made it clear that she was in no hurry to take such actions.
In Tuesday's interview for the Rossija-24 State Television Station, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow does not reject conversations with Ukraine, but, importantly, he emphasized-all peaks must be prepared “step by step, gradually, starting from the level of experts, and then passing through all the necessary stages.”
Balanced formulations of Russia are in line with the known pattern: consent in principle, delays in practice. A similar situation took place in May, when Putin proposed a meeting with Zelanski to take peace talks, and then sent a second -level delegation.
This time, however, Trump put Putin in a difficult situation, calling the Kremlin leader, when European leaders and Zelnski were still in the White House. “After the meetings, I called President Putin and started preparations for the meeting of President Putin and President Zelanski in a place that will be determined,” said Trump.
– I think he wants to enter into an agreement. I think he wants to make an agreement for me – the microphones caught what Trump said to the French President Emmanuel Macron before starting a multilateral meeting with Zelanski and other European leaders.
PAP / EPA / AARON Schwartz / Pool / PAP
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and US President Donald Trump during a multilateral meeting with European leaders at the White House in Washington, USA, 18 August 2025.
The Russians were more restrained when it comes to the content of Trump's conversation with Putin.
-Putin and Trump talked about raising the level of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations-said Kremlin's adviser Juri Ruszakov, adding that both presidents “expressed support for the continuation of direct negotiations between the delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine.”
However, Trump's conversation with Putin was enough to speculate that a breakthrough in conversations could be close. “We're ready,” Zelanski told journalists in the White House, adding that the peak plans will be “formalized in some way in the next week or 10 days”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with satisfaction accepted Putin's alleged openness to conversations, saying Fox News: “The very fact that Putin says:” Sure, I will meet with Zelanski ” – it's a big deal.”
The highest -ranking American diplomat, however, also tried to make expectations. “We are not at the finish yet, but this is our goal and one of the things we discussed today was how to get to it,” he said.
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Putin does not give up
During the Friday meeting with Trump in Alaska, Putin said that in order to achieve lasting peace, one should deal with the “main causes” of the conflict in Ukraine, signaling once again that he did not withdraw from his war goals.
These ambitions include a long list of demands that Russia was unable to realize during the war, such as the neutralization of Ukraine, the dedication of additional territories in the eastern part of the country, a drastic limitation of the armed forces and the resignation from the desire to join NATO.
According to the German chancellor Friedrich Merz Trump and Putin, they agreed during the telephone conversation “in the next two weeks”. However, even he was careful: – We do not know if the Russian president would have the courage to take part in such a peak. That is why persuasion is needed – he said.
“The next 15 days are absolutely crucial for us to finalize work with the Americans and give a specific shape to security guarantees,” said French President Emmanuel Macron in an interview with the French television station LCI, which was broadcast on Tuesday.
Macron argued that Putin's final decision on participating in the three -sided meeting would explain “ambiguities” and show whether he seriously approaches the issue of peace.
For now, however, Moscow's position remains clear: there is no reason to count on too much. Russia is ready to talk about conversations, but does not want to commit to participate in the summit.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
