Could Zelenskyy and Putin meet soon? Political analyst weighs in
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin (collage by RBC-Ukraine)
The Ukrainian government wants to hold a meeting with Russia at the level of national leaders. However, such talks remain unlikely for now, stated political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko in a comment to RBC-Ukraine’s YouTube channel.
Fesenko believes that, as of today and in the near future, a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Kremlin's leader Vladimir Putin is unlikely.
He added that the need for a leader-level meeting is a fundamental position of Ukrainian diplomacy. Zelenskyy has been advocating for it since at least March.
The political analyst noted that Zelenskyy had a similar position back in 2019, when he insisted on meeting Putin in Paris.
"He believes that such key issues as war and peace must be decided by political leaders. Delegations can work out details, but that won't solve the core problems. That’s his worldview — this is how he sees the resolution of international issues," Fesenko explained.
In his opinion, Zelenskyy understands that a meeting with Putin alone might not lead to results, since the Russian President is currently not ready for peace.
"But perhaps he hopes that if the meeting includes Trump and if Trump plays an active role, as he clearly wants to end the war in Ukraine, then that could influence Putin. Specifically, the Trump factor. To maintain constructive relations with Trump, Putin might agree to certain concessions. Whether that will happen or not — only time will tell," the analyst added.
Fesenko also expressed doubt that even Trump’s involvement would drastically change the situation, since the most recent phone call between the US President and the Russian leader led to no breakthrough. Meanwhile, Russia continues to escalate pressure on Ukraine through developments on the front lines and missile strikes.
Proposal for a meeting
Ukraine earlier proposed holding a leader-level meeting with Russia by the end of the summer, with the participation of US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
At the same time, Erdoğan stated that he wants to discuss the possibility of a meeting between the Ukrainian President and the Kremlin leader in Türkiye with both Trump and Putin this week.
