Russia's foreign minister has denied the possibility of talks between Presidents Putin and Zelensky to resolve the three-year conflict. The statement comes days after former US President Donald Trump announced preparations for a trilateral summit.
“There is no meeting planned between the heads of state of Russia and Ukraine,” Sergey Lavrov emphasized in a pre-recorded interview for NBC's Sunday program “Dialogue with the Press and Kristen Welker.”
Earlier, Mr. Trump announced on social media that he was holding talks with the Russian leader and had begun preparations for a possible summit, the location of which has yet to be determined. The American politician also mentioned his participation in the trilateral format of talks.
Doubts have grown recently about Moscow's readiness for US-led peace initiatives, given Russian officials' criticism of the basic provisions of the new proposals.
Lavrov indicated that the Russian president is ready for dialogue with his Ukrainian counterpart, but only after preliminary discussion of key issues at the expert level. This could delay the negotiation process, given the continuing fundamental differences between the parties.
Ukraine is seeking security guarantees from Western countries to prevent potential threats after the conflict ends. American and European diplomats are developing detailed schemes for implementing such guarantees. However, Lavrov previously called any agreements on Ukraine's security without Russia's participation futile.
Amid these discussions, a massive Russian drone and missile attack on Ukrainian targets on Thursday hit a U.S. electrical engineering plant, despite Trump's public criticism of Putin's combination of bombing and peace initiatives.
President Zelensky said: “The Russian side is avoiding the highest level of negotiations in every possible way. The point is not the format of the meeting, but Moscow's unwillingness to stop hostilities.”
The Ukrainian leader spoke together with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during his visit to Kyiv.
“We need to narrow the scope for evading responsibility,” Zelensky noted. “A joint position by the US and the EU will help achieve this.”
Rutte noted Trump's intention to “overcome the impasse” in relations with Putin and involve the United States in providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
“This issue is a priority for President Trump,” he told reporters.
The NATO Secretary General explained that the guarantees under discussion would include two levels. The first, implemented after the signing of a peace agreement or a long-term ceasefire, would provide for the “maximum strengthening” of Ukraine's defense capability.
The second level involves coordinated commitments between European countries and the United States in the area of security.
A senior EU official called Ukraine's potential territorial concessions under the peace deal “a Putin trap.” European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas stressed that meeting Russia's demands would set a precedent for encouraging the aggressor.
“The current talk of concessions to Moscow is exactly the scenario that the Kremlin is seeking,” Kallas said on the BBC.
“By discussing possible concessions from Kyiv, we are ignoring the main thing: Russia has not made any compromises, remaining the party that unleashed the war and continues to kill citizens of another state,” she noted.
Kallas added: “Russia is deliberately stalling for time. Their actions demonstrate their lack of interest in peace. Trump has repeatedly called for an end to the violence, but Putin is only escalating the aggression by continuing military action.”
In response, the Ukrainian army stepped up attacks on Russian infrastructure critical to military logistics. Attacks on oil refineries triggered a record rise in wholesale fuel prices in the Russian Federation.
According to the commander of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Broddiy (known as Madyar), a section of the Druzhba oil pipeline near the Unecha junction station in the Bryansk region was attacked on Friday.
The key Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Belarus and Ukraine, supplies hydrocarbons to Eastern European countries. The Russian segment of the pipeline includes the Bryansk region and the Unechsky district.
Bryansk Region Governor Alexander Bogomaz confirmed the combined attack using HIMARS systems and drones on his Telegram channel.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
