Kremlin plays down talk of Putin-Zelensky summit as Trump pushes for direct talks

The Kremlin has sought to temper expectations over a possible summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, even as U.S. President Donald Trump renewed calls for the two leaders to meet to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

The push for direct talks comes days after Trump met Putin in Alaska and hosted seven European leaders alongside Zelensky at the White House. While Trump acknowledged that the conflict was “a tough one” to resolve, he said the coming weeks would reveal whether Putin was serious about pursuing peace.

“It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal,” Trump said on Tuesday, adding that Putin would face a “rough situation” if that were the case. He suggested a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky “would be better” without him, though he offered to join “if necessary.”

Putin reportedly told Trump he was “open” to direct talks, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later stressed that any summit would need to be prepared gradually through expert-level discussions. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy representative to the UN, echoed that position, warning that a meeting “for the sake of a meeting” would be meaningless.

European leaders and Zelensky have expressed openness to a potential summit, though Kyiv has rejected Moscow’s floated idea of talks in the Russian capital. The last face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelensky was in 2019, before Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The discussions highlight Trump’s shifting stance. Having previously suggested he could quickly secure a ceasefire, the U.S. president now concedes that only a permanent peace deal would be viable. European allies appear to have persuaded him that robust security guarantees will be critical to Ukraine’s sovereignty. Trump indicated Washington could provide “air support” if European nations committed ground troops under a future deal, though he ruled out deploying U.S. forces.

Meanwhile, a UK- and France-led “coalition of the willing” is working on contingency plans for a reassurance force in Ukraine if hostilities cease. NATO military chiefs are also due to meet virtually this week to discuss broader security measures.

Despite diplomatic maneuvering, skepticism remains. French President Emmanuel Macron labeled Putin “a predator, and an ogre at our doorstep,” while Finnish President Alexander Stubb warned that the Kremlin leader was “rarely to be trusted.”

For now, hopes of a breakthrough hinge on whether Putin and Zelensky are willing to meet, and whether Moscow is prepared to negotiate beyond battlefield gains.