Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US leader Donald Trump held talks concerning a potential meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The sides discussed a scenario for organizing a summit on the territory of the United States in a special format which, according to the Ukrainian side, would make it extremely difficult for Moscow to refuse participation.
As reported by RBC-Ukraine citing Zelenskyy's statement in Telegram, the initiative is to create conditions under which the head of the Kremlin would find it difficult to refuse a personal request from President Trump. "Yesterday we discussed with President Trump that such a meeting could be organized in the US in a format where it would be much harder for Putin to refuse, at least President Trump. We'll see what comes of it," noted the Ukrainian leader.
Pressure Strategy
Zelenskyy emphasized that in the event of Russia refusing a new chance for dialogue, the international community would be forced to apply additional pressure measures. The head of state recalled that it was previously proposed to hold a meeting at any point in the world where real decisions could be made to end the full-scale war, but these proposals were rejected.
In particular, the possibility of holding negotiations on the sidelines of the "G7" (Group of Seven) summit with the participation of all democratic states was discussed. "We discussed with the US and France the possibility of a meeting with Russia on the sidelines of the G7... Putin does not want this," stated Zelenskyy.
History of Refusals
The initiative from the Ukrainian side is not new. On June 4, Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to the Russian leader, proposing a meeting in a third country to reach agreements on a lasting peace. The President's Office understood that Vladimir Putin was unlikely to agree to constructive dialogue, but the appeal was addressed to several audiences at once: the Russian leader himself, representatives of the elites in Moscow, and Ukraine's international partners.
The response was criticism from the Kremlin. Putin criticized the initiative, complaining about the allegedly "rude tone" of the letter, and categorically refused personal negotiations, stating that he saw no sense in them.
Assessment of the Situation in Kyiv
The Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiga, commented on the current situation, noting that Vladimir Putin has effectively lost the opportunity to exit the war on acceptable terms. According to the minister, the conflict is increasingly turning into a failure for Russia, and international pressure on Moscow will only intensify, regardless of whether the Kremlin accepts the proposal for a meeting in the US or not.