The Kremlin has downplayed the possibility of a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, even as U.S. President Donald Trump renewed calls for the two leaders to meet in pursuit of ending the war.
The push follows Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alaska last week and subsequent White House talks with Zelensky and seven European leaders on Monday. While Trump initially proposed a three-way summit, he has since suggested it may be better if Putin and Zelensky meet first without him, adding that he would join “if necessary.” Still, he acknowledged that Moscow may not be ready to compromise. “It’s possible that he doesn’t want to make a deal,” Trump said Tuesday.
Putin told Trump earlier this week he was “open” to direct talks, but Russia’s foreign minister quickly tempered expectations, stressing that any meeting would require gradual preparation beginning with lower-level negotiations. Russian officials reiterated that no meeting should be held simply “for the sake of a meeting.” Reports suggested Putin even floated the idea of Zelensky traveling to Moscow for talks—a proposal Kyiv was highly unlikely to accept.
Meanwhile, the war grinds on. Overnight, Russian forces struck a gas distribution station in Odesa and launched multiple attacks on a town in Sumy region, injuring 14 people, including three children. NATO’s military chiefs are holding a virtual meeting, while the UK’s defense chief has traveled to Washington for talks on deploying a reassurance force in Ukraine if hostilities subside.
Trump’s efforts highlight the challenges of reconciling Moscow’s demands with Kyiv’s position. The ceasefire he previously suggested he could secure has not materialized, and he is now urging Ukraine and Russia to move directly toward a permanent peace agreement. Zelensky and European leaders, however, pressed him to focus on securing firm security guarantees for Ukraine before any deal is considered.
European partners remain deeply skeptical of Putin’s intentions. French President Emmanuel Macron called him “a predator, an ogre at our doorstep” and said he doubted Russia’s sincerity about peace, while Finland’s Alexander Stubb cautioned that Putin was “rarely to be trusted.” Potential summit locations such as Geneva or Budapest have been floated, though doubts remain over neutrality.
For now, the Kremlin’s caution and Europe’s skepticism underscore the distance between the rhetoric of potential talks and the reality on the ground. As Putin continues to dismiss Zelensky as illegitimate and Russia maintains battlefield momentum, the possibility of direct negotiations remains uncertain—leaving Trump caught between optimism for a breakthrough and the entrenched hostilities that show little sign of easing.