Russia has not agreed to facilitate a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed that any summit between the leaders should occur in a gradual, multi-step process, beginning with discussions at the expert level and progressing through necessary phases.
This statement came during an interview with state television, where Lavrov noted his attendance at a recent summit in Alaska between Trump and Putin. He emphasized that the Kremlin hasn’t dismissed the idea of negotiations with Ukraine. According to the US President, there remains an invitation for Ukraine to visit Russia.
Trump had a phone conversation with Putin from the White House on Monday, urging the Russian leader, who was meeting with Zelensky and several European leaders at the time, regarding a potential future meeting. Notably, Zelensky and the European officials were not present during Trump’s call to Putin.
“I didn’t want to do it in front of them. I thought it would have been rude to President Putin,” Trump explained during an appearance on Fox News. The conversation between the two leaders lasted about 40 minutes, with Trump describing the call as “good” and indicating he would work to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
“After that meeting, if things go smoothly, I’ll be there to help finalize things,” he added.
Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to Putin on foreign policy, reported on Tuesday that the discussion between Trump and the Kremlin leader was “very open and constructive,” suggesting there might be opportunities for in-person meetings between top officials from both Ukraine and Russia.
Moreover, Trump, who aims to conclude the enduring conflict between Russia and Ukraine, has offered air support to Ukraine to bolster security guarantees. He mentioned that the US is prepared to assist in establishing these guarantees to facilitate potential peace agreements between the two nations.
“We’re ready to support them in various ways, particularly in terms of air capabilities,” Trump said during his Fox News interview.
White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt informed reporters that the president has tasked the national security team to develop these frameworks for security assurances, which are aimed at bringing about an end to the conflict. “Nothing regarding military options is off the table,” she noted.
