Kremlin: Putin will meet Trump and Zelenskyy only to "formalise agreements"
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a trilateral summit between Putin, Trump and Zelenskyy could happen only to finalise already-reached agreements, while accusing Ukraine of refusing genuine settlement talks.
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said a potential meeting of presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump could take place only to formally seal agreements already worked out.
Speaking to journalists in remarks released by Russian state agency TASS, Peskov argued that the settlement process is far from a simple deal, describing it instead as an extremely complex process involving a huge number of details. He said it would be pointless for the presidents to meet merely to discuss those details — a summit, in his view, could only serve to finalise agreements once they are ready.
Accusations against Ukraine
Peskov also accused Ukraine of being unwilling to "engage in a real settlement" — a phrase Russia typically uses to mean Ukraine's capitulation and acceptance of all Russian conditions.
Background
The accusation follows earlier reporting by Axios that CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during a secret trip to Moscow, had proposed a trilateral meeting bringing together US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
