Kremlin Downplays Zelensky Talks as Trump Claims Putin May Not Seek a Deal

By Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1247 EAT on Wednesday 20 August 2025

The Kremlin has downplayed speculation of an imminent summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, even as former U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his call for direct talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump’s push for a bilateral meeting follows his recent encounter with Putin in Alaska last week and a separate White House meeting on Monday with Ukrainian President Zelensky and leaders from seven European countries.

Speaking on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged the complexity of the conflict and suggested that Putin may have little interest in pursuing peace.

“It’s a tough one,” he said. “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks. It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal.”

Trump added that if Putin was indeed unwilling to negotiate, he would be facing a “rough situation,” though he did not elaborate on what that might entail.

In an interview with conservative radio host Mark Levin late Tuesday night, Trump suggested it “would be better” if Putin and Zelensky met without him. However, he said he would be willing to join the talks “if necessary,” adding that he preferred to “see what happens” first.

On Monday, Putin told Trump he was “open” to the idea of direct talks with Ukraine. But by Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared to dial back the already vague commitment, emphasizing that any potential meeting would need to be carefully prepared.

“Such a meeting must be approached gradually… starting at the expert level and going through all the required steps,” Lavrov said, reiterating a well-worn Kremlin position.

NATO’s military chiefs are expected to hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday, as the UK’s Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, travels to Washington for high-level discussions on the possible deployment of a reassurance force in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, reports emerged Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had suggested to Donald Trump that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could travel to Moscow for direct talks — a proposal widely seen as unrealistic and highly unlikely to be accepted by Kyiv.

Analysts believe the offer may have been a strategic move by Moscow — a deliberately unworkable suggestion designed to make Ukraine appear intransigent by rejecting it.

Recent discussions appear to have given Trump a deeper appreciation of the war’s complexity and the vast divide between Russia’s demands and Ukraine’s conditions for peace. The much-publicized ceasefire he once claimed he could swiftly secure from Putin has yet to materialize. Now, the U.S. president is urging both sides to move directly toward negotiating a permanent peace deal.

However, some progress has been made. Zelensky and several European leaders have reportedly persuaded Trump that any credible peace agreement must include firm security guarantees for Ukraine — a position Kyiv views as essential to preserving its sovereignty.

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