Nicolai Haugsted
Putin keeps the door open for Trump while insisting Zelenskyy must come to Moscow.
Donald Trump may not have seen the last of Vladimir Putin across the negotiating table.
Talk of another presidential meeting is picking up again as Washington searches for a path toward ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. Trump has publicly suggested another encounter could happen, and Moscow is now making clear that Putin remains available.
No date has been agreed, no venue has been announced and no summit is formally on the calendar.
Still, the Kremlin says the door is open.
“Putin remains ready for another meeting with Trump,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Ilsole24ore.
Trump thinks another meeting is coming
Trump raised the possibility himself Tuesday while meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“We already had a meeting in Alaska. I think we’ll have another one,” Trump said.
The US president also delivered a notably short public message to Putin when asked what he wanted the Russian leader to hear.
“Settle the war,” Trump said.
Trump has claimed that the conflict could end “more quickly than people understand,” while Zelenskyy has expressed hope that US involvement could help bring the war to an end before winter.
Moscow’s latest response suggests another Trump-Putin meeting remains possible, but Peskov stressed that nothing concrete has yet been arranged.
Preparations would have to come first.
Moscow has a very different invitation for Zelenskyy
Putin’s willingness to meet Trump does not mean Zelenskyy is being offered the same flexibility.
Moscow continues to insist that any face-to-face meeting between Putin and the Ukrainian president should take place in the Russian capital.
“If he wants, he can come to Moscow,” Peskov said, according to the source material.
The Kremlin has made that position clear before. Earlier this month, Peskov rejected the possibility of Putin meeting Zelenskyy at the G20 summit in Miami and reiterated that Moscow remained the location Russia was prepared to offer.
Zelenskyy, for his part, has said he is prepared to sit down with Putin if such a meeting can produce something concrete.
“It’s not my wish. It’s not the best day of my life. Better to sit with my family,” Zelenskyy told CBC News when asked about meeting the Russian president.
He nevertheless said he would consider direct talks if they could produce practical results and meaningful security guarantees for Ukraine.
Kremlin says a summit needs groundwork
Peskov argued that putting Putin and Zelenskyy together without sufficient preparation at expert level would accomplish little.
Moscow says conditions are not currently in place to move directly toward leader-level peace negotiations, while simultaneously maintaining that Russia remains open to diplomacy.
Recent statements from Russian officials have followed the same line.
Peskov said earlier this week that Moscow hoped trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States could resume.
“We hope that we will still be able to resume trilateral negotiations and make another attempt to achieve our goals peacefully,” he said.
Asked whether any progress had actually been made toward restarting those talks, his answer was considerably shorter.
“No, there has been no progress.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has likewise said Moscow is prepared for another round of negotiations, while claiming previous talks were halted at somebody else’s initiative.
European support for Ukraine remains a Kremlin complaint
Peskov also used his latest comments to criticize European governments for continuing to finance and arm Ukraine.
Germany, France, Britain and other European countries remain major supporters of Kyiv as the war continues.
The Kremlin spokesman accused Britain of encouraging “Russophobic sentiments” and said Germany, France and several other European countries were pursuing similar policies, according to the source material.
Such complaints come while Moscow continues to reject proposals for a temporary ceasefire.
“Putin and the Russian side have always stated that we are in favor of a lasting peace — peace forever — rather than a ceasefire, which, in essence, will achieve nothing,” Peskov said Tuesday.
Ukraine and its allies have repeatedly challenged Moscow’s characterization of its position, arguing that Russia’s military operations and negotiating demands do not demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace.
