The topic of possible high-level talks between Russia, the US, and Ukraine has once again come to the forefront of the international agenda. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, a possible trilateral meeting with the participation of Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Zelenskyy will only be meaningful when the negotiation process reaches the final stage, that is, when the parties are ready to formally consolidate the agreements reached. Reuters previously reported that Peskov put forward a similar approach, stating that the leaders' summit is needed not to initiate negotiations, but to put an end to them.
This opinion of Peskov means that Moscow is not yet in favor of holding a meeting at the level of leaders in the near future. First of all, it is necessary to find common ground on key issues through working groups, delegations, and consultations. Only then will the large political meeting with the participation of the heads of state acquire practical significance. This, in essence, demonstrates the Kremlin's cautious and gradual approach.
Against this backdrop, the details of the telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have also begun to be revealed. According to Axios, Trump expressed his desire to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible during the conversation. According to the source, the conversation took place in a warm and positive atmosphere.
According to sources citing Axios, Zelenskyy thanked his American counterpart for the assistance provided and emphasized that it was Trump who had the opportunity to persuade Vladimir Putin to cease hostilities. The Ukrainian leader also expressed hope that the conflict would end this year.
One of the most noteworthy aspects of this conversation was Trump's position on ending the war even faster. According to Axios, he said that he wanted to see the achievement of peace in a very short time, which, according to some sources, could even be around a month. However, Axios himself writes that Trump's broader goal is to reach a peace agreement by summer. So, the desire for speed is strong, but in practice, serious obstacles still remain.
It should be recalled that on February 17-18, the next negotiations were held in Geneva with the participation of Russia, the USA, and Ukraine. According to Reuters, these two-day dialogues ended without significant progress, while the Ukrainian side was not fully satisfied with the results, Washington said there was some "significant progress." The Russian side assessed the negotiations as "difficult, but productive."
In short, there is currently no exact date for the three leaders to meet at the same table. The Kremlin attributes this only to the final stage of the agreement, Washington is trying to accelerate the process, and Kyiv hopes to end the war as soon as possible. Now the main question is one: will the difficult negotiations at the delegation level really lead to a meeting of the leaders or not - this will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
