Kremlin states Putin-Zelensky summit only possible to settle peace agreement
(MENAFN) A direct meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky should only occur to finalize a peace agreement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Friday.
Zelensky has repeatedly expressed his desire for a personal meeting with Putin, calling it essential to ending the conflict. Ukrainian negotiators have echoed this during the ongoing bilateral talks in Istanbul.
While the Kremlin has not dismissed the possibility of such a summit, it insists that substantial groundwork must be completed first. Peskov emphasized that a meeting at the presidential level should only serve to formalize terms that have already been thoroughly negotiated by experts. “You can’t put the cart before the horse,” he said, criticizing Kiev for pushing too soon for a leader-to-leader summit.
Following the latest round of talks in Istanbul, Peskov reiterated that the necessary diplomatic and technical progress must precede any high-level meeting. Only once agreements are in place should the two presidents meet to formalize them.
Moscow has also raised doubts about Zelensky’s legal standing. Since his presidential term expired in May 2024 and elections were postponed due to martial law, Russian officials argue that his legitimacy is questionable. They maintain that Ukraine’s parliament now holds the country’s legal authority.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggested that Zelensky’s push to meet both Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump may be a political strategy to regain legitimacy and avoid calling new elections.
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