Ukraine-Russia presidential talks more likely now, Trump factor boosts chances
Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Sergiy Kyslytsya (Photo: Getty Images)
The chances of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war are increasing, states Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya.
He explained this by pointing to US President Donald Trump’s open dissatisfaction with Russia dragging out the negotiation process.
At the same time, Kyslytsya noted that he could not comment on the statement made by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan regarding a possible meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia. The diplomat added that he does not know the context in which Fidan’s remarks were made, and that is very important.
“I don’t have the original source of his words — perhaps he was referring to the value of the three meetings held in Istanbul. Maybe he feels the chances for such a meeting are growing. And indeed, I want to believe they are, because Moscow is beginning to realize that Washington’s patience is wearing thin,” Kyslytsya said.
He added, “You can play games with friends, with colleagues, but you can’t play these kinds of games with the President of the US.”
The diplomat also revealed that the topic of a leaders' summit was raised during the first round of delegation talks in Istanbul. According to Kyslytsya, the Russian delegation never said such a meeting would never happen. However, they did make demands.
“The Russian side said: ‘You want a meeting? Then meet our demands!’ That distorts the logic of the Ukrainian side, because they believe presidents should simply approve what experts have already agreed upon. But this should work the other way around. The Kremlin leader must give a clear order to his subordinates to formalize the leaders’ political agreements — not the other way around,” Kyslytsya explained.
He emphasized that otherwise, these meetings will drag on for years — exactly what Russia wants.
Continuing the topic, the deputy minister stressed that instead of genuinely seeking a resolution to end the war, Russia is trying to build an infrastructure of endless talks and offer that to Donald Trump.
“I believe that in Washington — where smart people work, both analysts and politicians — they have already realized they’re being strung along. And waiting until September 2 is too long, because people are dying every day, there are daily missile and drone strikes, and the Russian side keeps dancing in circles around these so-called expert meetings,” Kyslytsya concluded.
What Trump said
In early July, US President Donald Trump stated that he was giving Russia 50 days to end the war in Ukraine; otherwise, he would impose secondary sanctions on those continuing to trade with Russia.
Media reports suggested that the restrictions could affect Russian oil exports to China, India, and Türkiye.
Yesterday, during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump announced that he had shortened the deadline he had given to Putin. Instead of 50 days, he is now giving Russia just 10 or 12 days.
"I’m going to make a new deadline, of about 10, 10 or 12 days from today. There’s no reason for waiting. It was 50 days, I wanted to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made," he said.
At the same time, Trump added that he would announce the exact timeline today or tomorrow.
As for the statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, which was mentioned by Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Fidan said that Ukraine and Russia generally agree on the need for a meeting between Presidents Zelenskyy and Putin.
"In principle, an agreement was reached to hold a summit of the leaders in Türkiye. There is a great deal of work ahead for the negotiating teams," Fidan stated.
