【Text by Observers Network, Qi Qian】

Can the bilateral meeting between Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy take place?

So far, it seems increasingly unlikely.

On August 22 local time, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, in an interview with NBC, hinted that Ukraine is hindering the meeting. He said that Putin will only meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda is ready, but currently the agenda "is completely unprepared."

Lavrov mentioned that US President Trump proposed several suggestions, including Ukraine not joining NATO and discussing territorial issues between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian side "agreed," but Zelenskyy "said 'no' to all suggestions."

However, at the same time, Ukraine blamed Russia for the difficulty in advancing the bilateral meeting. Zelenskyy stated on the 21st that he was "ready" to meet with Putin, but Russia was "trying to avoid" the meeting and launched large-scale attacks on Ukraine.

"Trump's proposals, Zelenskyy refused to accept"

Lavrov said that there are no plans for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy at the moment. NBC noted that this casts new shadows over Trump's efforts to hold a Russia-Ukraine summit to end the war.

"Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the summit agenda is prepared, but the agenda is completely unprepared now," Lavrov told NBC host, "Putin clearly stated that if there is indeed an agenda, a presidential-level agenda, he is ready to meet at any time."

Lavrov accepting an interview with NBC on August 22, screenshot from video

Lavrov mentioned the meeting between Trump and Putin on August 15 in Alaska. He said, "President Trump proposed several points after the Anchorage talks, which we agreed with and showed some flexibility in certain aspects."

But Lavrov continued, "When President Trump raised these issues in Washington on the 18th, everyone knew that Washington believed several principles must be accepted, including not joining NATO and discussing territorial issues. But Zelenskyy said 'no' to all of them." He also accused Zelenskyy of "refusing to repeal legislation banning Russian language."

"How can we meet with someone who pretends to be a leader?" Lavrov asked rhetorically.

NBC added that the Russian side has long accused Kyiv of "genocide" against the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine, which Ukraine denies. In addition, the Russian side also questions the legitimacy of Zelenskyy's presidency.

Ukrainian side accuses Russia of "avoiding" the meeting

On the evening of the 20th to the early morning of the 21st local time, the Russian military launched 574 drones and 40 missiles into Ukraine, attacking 14 locations within Ukraine. This is the largest scale of air attack since July 9.

Zelenskyy stated that on the 21st, the Russian military fired a missile at a U.S. company in Mukachevo, Transcarpathia, causing at least 15 people injured.

"While the whole world is waiting for Russia to give a clear response on negotiations to end the war, Russia is carrying out fierce attacks," Zelenskyy said in a video statement on social media X, saying that the bilateral meeting between Russia and Ukraine and the trilateral meeting between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia were originally "possible" to make progress, but now, the signals from Russia are "shocking."

Zelenskyy said, "They are trying to avoid holding meetings. They don't want to end the war. They continue to launch large-scale attacks on Ukraine and conduct fierce attacks on the front lines." He called on Western countries to continue pressuring Russia "in a principled way."

He wrote, "This war must end. Pressure must be applied to Russia to end the war. Putin only understands force and pressure."

NBC mentioned that Trump posted on social media seemingly encouraging Ukraine to retaliate, expressing sympathy for Kyiv's lack of equal weapons, calling it like a "team that defends well but isn't allowed to attack." However, he also wrote, "Ukraine has no chance of winning!"

Zelenskyy's video statement on the 21st, screenshot from video

Is the bilateral meeting still far away?

On August 18 local time, accompanied by several European leaders, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met with US President Trump at the White House. After the meeting, all parties stated that if everything goes smoothly, a bilateral meeting between Russia and Ukraine and a trilateral meeting between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia would soon take place.

But so far, the bilateral meeting and trilateral meeting itself remain highly uncertain. To date, the parties have not yet reached an agreement on Ukraine's security guarantees, as well as the issue of Ukraine not joining NATO and "territorial exchange" between Russia and Ukraine, which are part of the meeting agenda.

According to reports, Russia occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory. Trump previously stated that "territory exchange" is essential for any Russia-Ukraine solution. Reuters reported that Ukraine opposes ceding any territory, but Kyiv currently lacks the military capability to reclaim all areas under Russian control, and its diplomatic leverage to force Russian troops to withdraw in the short term is limited.

The White House is working to arrange a bilateral meeting between Russia and Ukraine, but the time and location have not been determined yet.

Zelenskyy said on the 20th that Switzerland, Austria, and Turkey may become the venue for the meeting between the heads of state of Russia and Ukraine, but Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is currently "not realistic." He had previously rejected the proposal to hold the meeting in Moscow.

At the same time, European countries have strongly urged to provide security guarantees for Ukraine and called on the United States to participate.

However, Vice President Vance stated on the 20th that European countries will have to pay "most" of the costs for Ukraine's security guarantees. According to media reports, senior policy officials at the Pentagon told allies that the United States will play a minimal role in Ukraine's security guarantees.

Lavrov stated on the 20th that Russia supports providing reliable security guarantees to Ukraine, but at the same time warned that discussing this without Russian participation is "a dead end." He pointed out that if it is an equal security guarantee arrangement involving the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Russia would accept such arrangements.

This article is exclusive to Observers Network. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7541421327941403170/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the 【up/down】 buttons below.