Differences Persist Over Immediate Summit Between Putin and Zelensky
Moscow has postponed a planned meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, citing the need for utmost care in preparing contacts between the heads of state. The decision comes after a request for a meeting from US President Donald Trump, who has been in discussions with both leaders regarding strategic issues.
However, the barriers set by Russian President Vladimir Putin suggest a strained relationship between the two leaders. Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy advisor, has stated that direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv should be held at a higher level than before, but did not mention a meeting of the presidents.
The lack of progress in the bilateral negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, which have been ongoing since May, is a cause for concern. Previous meetings, such as the one in Paris in 2019, have not yielded any significant concessions from Putin. Expectations for a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky are low, given the current state of relations.
The potential meeting is intended to end the three-and-a-half-year war between Russia and Ukraine, with Zelensky having long called for such a meeting. However, several obstacles remain, including the conditions for a ceasefire or a final peace, which are far apart.
The choice of location for a potential summit meeting is also proving to be difficult. Switzerland has offered its services, but Russia has rejected the Vatican. Russia and Ukraine might meet again in Turkey or Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Russian propaganda portrays Zelensky in a negative light, with Putin calling him a "toxic figure" and claiming that Nazis rule in Ukraine despite Zelensky's Jewish origins. Zelensky, for his part, has accused Putin of terrorism and called him an "idiot."
The military situation for Putin is not specified in the provided information. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocks Ukraine's approximation to the EU, making Budapest an unlikely neutral place for a summit meeting.
Zelensky, a former comedian and TV producer, entered politics in 2019 and has had a mixed record as president. Putin, who has ruled Russia with increasing authoritarianism for a quarter of a century, sees the collapse of the Soviet Union as a humiliation and seeks to make Russia a power broker in Europe.
On a separate note, the location for the next NATO summit has been confirmed, with the event set to take place on July 7-8, 2026, at the Presidential Palace complex in Ankara, Turkey.
Read also:
- United States tariffs pose a threat to India, necessitating the recruitment of adept negotiators or strategists, similar to those who had influenced Trump's decisions.
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Southwest region's most popular posts, accompanied by an inquiry:
- Discussion between Putin and Trump in Alaska could potentially overshadow Ukraine's concerns
