It was all for nothing, Putin turned against Trump and no longer meets Zelensky
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said in an interview that there are currently no plans for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
A few days ago, US President Trump had also made statements, preparing to arrange a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, even hinting that it would be a major breakthrough in promoting the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
At that time, they had even started selecting the meeting location, but now Russia has suddenly changed its position.
Lavrov pointed out that any meeting must have a clear agenda and expected results, otherwise it would be meaningless; especially when signing documents, Ukrainian President Zelensky lacks constitutional legitimacy, so he cannot be the final signatory of the negotiations.
Trump hopes to use the mediation between Putin and Zelensky to shape himself as a peacemaker, but Russia is unwilling to play the role of America's diplomatic backdrop.
Putin has always insisted that negotiations must yield results, rather than passively accepting any form of meeting proposed by the West.
The core conditions of the Russian side remain unchanged: Ukraine must give up joining NATO, recognize the de facto control over Crimea and the Donbas area, and the West must not send troops.
These conditions are almost impossible for Ukraine to accept, so the Russian cold handling is an obvious strategic signal.
For Putin, if the meeting cannot obtain substantive benefits, Trump's invitation is not very valuable.
This also involves a deeper trust gap between Russia and the United States.
Although Trump has repeatedly sent signals of easing tensions, Russia does not believe that the US overall policy will change because of this.
Putin's cold attitude is telling the United States: If you want to arrange a meeting, you must first make specific concessions, instead of creating the illusion of progress through the media.
Trump now needs to gain political capital through diplomatic shows, while Putin clearly has no intention of cooperating.
Therefore, Trump's round of meetings with various parties indeed increased his visibility, but it has little effect on the situation.
Putin's refusal is not only aimed at Trump personally, but also a response to the current US strategy. The Russian side insists on leading the agenda, rather than letting the US take the spotlight in international public opinion.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841398897152003/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.