Putin Stalls on Zelenskyy Meeting as Trump Ceasefire Deadline Looms
The Kremlin is dragging its feet on engaging in direct ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine, despite growing international pressure and a looming ultimatum from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Politico.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not dismiss the idea of meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but suggested that such a meeting could only take place after unspecified preparatory “work” is completed at the expert level. That work, Peskov admitted, has not yet begun.
The statement comes days before the August 8 deadline set by Trump, who has threatened to impose tariffs on Russia unless it agrees to a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a direct meeting with Putin on August 1, accusing Moscow of using diplomatic ambiguity to avoid meaningful dialogue.
“We understand who calls the shots in Russia, and thus Ukraine is once again offering to move beyond technical talks – not to exchange statements, but to actually meet at the level of leaders,” Zelenskyy stated.
Despite Putin’s earlier remarks about being open to “further peace talks,” he also boasted that Russian forces were “advancing along the entire front line,” casting doubt on Moscow’s sincerity.
This latest Kremlin statement is viewed by analysts as part of a long-standing strategy: signaling openness to peace while imposing vague and unrealistic conditions that allow military operations to continue.
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