Zelenskyy-Putin meeting nearly impossible without U.S. involvement — expert

Bohdan Ferens, Ph.D. in Political Science and international expert, stated this on Espreso TV.

"We criticized a lot of things a year ago. A lot has changed since then. However, regarding peace negotiations, we had no discourse. Ukraine adapted its position after Donald Trump came to the Oval Office. The position of the U.S. and its administration regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war shifted quite radically compared to the Biden administration. Therefore, the realities are completely different now," Ferens explained.

According to the expert, officially Ukraine did not deny a meeting between the president and Putin to end the war. However, this meeting must be substantive and productive.

"Ukraine officially did not deny the possibility of a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin if it is necessary to end the war in a peaceful and just way. Therefore, our position is unchanged, the main thing is that there should be substance and effectiveness. However, without communication with the Trump administration, it is unlikely that anything will come from a bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin," he added.

• President Donald Trump's Sunday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago may pave the way for direct talks between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time in over five years, Fox News reports.