Meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy requires a "long and complex" negotiation process — Kremlin
Kremlin Spokesperson Peskov: The Ukraine-Russia summit is not a "simple deal," but an "extremely complex mediation process"
Russian President's press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated on August 31 local time that any potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must be preceded by a long and intricate negotiation process.
Peskov told reporters: "Such meetings only make sense when an agreement is ultimately finalized. And this agreement is by no means a simple transaction—it is an extremely complex mediation process involving a vast amount of detail."
He further emphasized that a meeting between the two leaders would be meaningless without prior preliminary consensus—first, all terms must be coordinated. However, Peskov noted that Ukraine currently shows no willingness to engage in such work. He specifically mentioned that although Moscow has consistently maintained an open stance, there are currently no preconditions for resuming the Ukrainian-Russian negotiating process in Turkey.
At the end of June this year, Putin said during a government meeting that Russia was willing to conduct dialogue based on the framework agreed upon in Istanbul in 2022. In 2025, the two sides held three rounds of direct talks at the same location and exchanged draft memoranda on conflict mediation. Another outcome of these meetings was the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of remains of fallen soldiers to Kyiv.
Previously, President Putin also revealed that he expects the United States to continue dialogues with Russia on Ukraine after the tense phase regarding the Iran issue concludes. Subsequently, on July 23, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio in Manila. Lavrov reiterated Russia’s commitment to mediation based on the proposal put forward in Alaska in 2025, while Rubio advocated for "new approaches" to be developed for this purpose.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875003123735555/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.