Kremlin: Putin open to meeting Zelenskyy, Trump, but demands "progress in delegation talks" first

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced this during a briefing, Russian state propaganda agency TASS and Interfax report.

According to Peskov, Putin is open to meeting personally with Zelenskyy and Trump. The Russian leader's press secretary said that "if direct talks between Russia and Ukraine make progress, then high-level meetings could be discussed."

"President Putin has repeatedly stated that, in principle, he supports high-level contacts and acknowledges their necessity. However, such meetings must be thoroughly prepared, and a concrete result must first be achieved through direct negotiations between the delegations of the two countries. Only after such progress can discussions about high-level meetings take place," Peskov said, commenting on the Turkish Foreign Ministry's statement that President Erdogan is ready to host the leaders of the United States, Ukraine, and the Russian ruler.

Peskov added that the Russian delegation is heading to Istanbul for negotiations with Ukraine and will be ready for the second round of talks starting Monday morning, June 2. He emphasized that Russia will not publish its draft "memorandum" on resolving the war.

“Of course, nothing will be published — it cannot be published. Both draft memorandums — Russian and Ukrainian, as we hope — will be discussed during the second round of negotiations, for which the Russian delegation will be ready on Monday morning in Istanbul,” Peskov said.

Putin’s spokesman also stated that ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea will be part of the agreements on Ukraine. He added that “Moscow is pleased that Putin’s warnings about the inadmissibility of NATO’s eastward expansion are gaining understanding, including in Washington.” He further explained that Kellogg’s statements regarding NATO expansion to the east were “the outcome of closed-door negotiations between Russia and the United States.”

Ukraine-Russia peace talks: background

On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the U.S., and Turkey took place in Istanbul, followed by direct negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine. According to Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the key issues were a prisoner exchange in a “1000 for 1000” format, the possibility of a ceasefire, and a potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

On May 19, Donald Trump, after a conversation with Vladimir Putin, announced the immediate start of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. However, on May 20, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that there were no timelines for preparing a peace memorandum. Later, on May 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared that Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not have the authority to sign a peace memorandum and that Ukraine must elect a new president.

On May 27, U.S. President’s special representative Keith Kellogg announced that Washington had received a document from Ukraine outlining conditions for peace and is now awaiting a memorandum from Russia. He also mentioned a possible location for future negotiations between the parties. On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan proposed Istanbul as the venue for a new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine.

On May 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that an announcement about a new round of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian sides would supposedly be made soon. At the same time, Dmitry Peskov noted that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is possible only if concrete agreements are reached. He also added that work on the Russian draft memorandum is almost complete.

On May 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Rustem Umerov had called Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky, but the Ukrainian side still has not received a memorandum from Russia. After this, Lavrov stated that the Russian delegation is ready to present their memorandum at the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the Russian side is delaying the peace process aimed at ending the war.