Ukraine proposes to organize a Zelenskyy–Putin meeting: Defense Minister sets a deadline
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (collage by RBC-Ukraine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul has proposed specific dates for such a meeting, states Ukraine’s Minister of Defense and head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, during the national telethon live broadcast.
According to the head of the Defense Ministry, all key issues between Ukraine and Russia can only be resolved at the level of the leaders. He noted that such a meeting could take place with the participation of US President Donald Trump.
He emphasized that further work between the delegations would make sense only if it was aimed at preparing a meeting of the leaders. Ukraine, he said, had proposed to the Russian side that the meeting be held before the end of the month — between June 20 and 30 — stressing that this would be crucial for progress in the negotiation process.
Zelenskyy–Putin meeting
In May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had already proposed holding a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul. However, the Kremlin leader ignored the proposal.
Instead, Putin sent a delegation to Istanbul headed by his aide, Vladimir Medinsky. The low level of the Russian delegation drew sharp criticism from both Western countries and Ukraine.
Today, on June 2, the second round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place. Following the meeting, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that the parties had discussed, among other things, a possible meeting at the level of the two leaders.
