Medinsky responds to proposal for Putin–Zelenskyy meeting
Russian Preesident Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: RBC-Ukraine collage)
The Kremlin has not yet given a clear answer on whether a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is possible, said the head of the Russian delegation and Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky.
"A meeting between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine must bring final clarity," he said, commenting on Ukraine's proposal to hold a leader-level meeting by the end of August.
According to Medinsky, such a meeting would require "working out the terms of the agreement" and preparing discussion topics for the heads of state.
The head of the Russian delegation said that during the Istanbul talks, Ukrainian officials were informed that negotiations at the leadership level must be properly prepared in advance.
Putin–Zelenskyy meeting
Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council and head of the Ukrainian delegation, stated that during the negotiations, the Ukrainian side proposed holding a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin by the end of August.
According to the proposal, the summit would take place with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump.
Zelenskyy has emphasized that a meeting at the leadership level is essential for progress toward peace, noting that in Russia, all decisions are made solely by Putin.
Back on June 19, the Kremlin leader claimed he was supposedly willing to meet with Zelenskyy, but expressed concerns about the signing of documents. The president continues to consider the Ukrainian president "illegitimate."
