Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Thursday that there is currently no agenda for a potential summit between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing Zelenskyy of rejecting all proposed discussion points.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Lavrov said Putin is willing to meet Zelenskyy to discuss a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, but only if a proper agenda is established. “Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda would be ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all,” Lavrov said, adding that no meeting is planned at present, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Lavrov criticized Ukraine’s approach, claiming Zelenskyy refused to consider key principles outlined by U.S. President Donald Trump during his recent summit with Russia. These included the exclusion of NATO membership for Ukraine and the discussion of territorial issues. “Zelenskyy said no to everything… He even said no to cancelling legislation banning the Russian language. How can we meet with a person who is pretending to be a leader?” Lavrov said.
The comments come as both Russia and Ukraine signal willingness to engage in peace talks, while each side accuses the other of insincerity. Putin’s stated demands include Ukraine relinquishing the eastern Donbas region, renouncing NATO membership, maintaining neutrality, and keeping Western troops out of the country.
Zelenskyy, for his part, has rejected any territorial concessions and called on Ukraine’s allies to impose additional sanctions on Moscow if it demonstrates no desire to end the conflict.
The developments follow Trump’s August 8 deadline for Putin to negotiate an end to the war, which he later extended after agreeing to meet with the Russian leader in Alaska.
