The Kremlin has stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin currently has no intention of holding a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This was reported by Baltimore Chronicle, citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Experts suggest that the Kremlin believes a meeting between the two leaders is inadvisable, as it could undermine the political justification for Russia’s war in Ukraine in the eyes of the Russian population. This information is supported by sources familiar with the Kremlin’s situation, who shared details with the Russian opposition publication “Verstka.” On August 22, the newspaper reported that Putin and his inner circle are concerned about the reputational consequences of a potential meeting with Zelensky.
According to a source working on internal political matters within the Kremlin, the statement made by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on August 18 about “elevating the level” of delegations for negotiations was essentially a polite refusal of the proposed meeting between Putin and Zelensky. Analysts at ISW noted that the Kremlin is trying to balance satisfying its internal audience, which demands an outright victory for Russia, with avoiding new U.S. sanctions that could complicate Russia’s ability to continue its military operations.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that no preparations are currently underway for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky. “Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky when the agenda for the summit is ready. However, this agenda is not yet formulated. How can we meet with a person who rejects everything and still pretends to be a leader?” Lavrov said.
Earlier we wrote that Ukrainian territories can only be discussed during a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.