WASHINGTON — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov threw up yet another roadblock Sunday to direct talks between his leader, Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — suggesting that a a summit is still far off.
Despite President Trump’s efforts, Lavrov said Sunday that Russia has an “agenda” in mind that must to be agreed before the two sides can sit down together.
“There is no meeting planned,” Lavrov told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The summit to end the war will only happen if it has a “presidential agenda” that pleases Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said — but that agenda is “not ready at all.”
The list of preconditions, Lavrov added, includes Ukraine agreeing to no NATO membership, “the discussion of territorial issues,” and Zelensky “cancelling legislation prohibiting the Russian language.”
The Kremlin remarks are the latest attempts from Moscow to stall a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky amid Trump’s fast-paced efforts to get a bilateral meeting together to end the 30-month long war.
Trump first met with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska on Aug. 15 for a “listening session” on the Russian leader’s demands, and then turned to hosting European leaders, along with Zelensky at the White House on Aug. 17.
The next step, Trump insisted last week, would be to hold a bilateral meeting with Putin and Zelensky — which has not happened since the start of the war in February of 2022.
Lavrov claimed Russia relayed their preferred agenda to Trump in Anchorage, who then brought Russia’s points to the European leaders at the White House, but “Zelensky said no to everything.”
Ukraine has long desired to be included in NATO, and have official security guarantees under Article 5 that would deter further Russian aggression. Trump has indicated NATO would not be an option, but the president’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff claimed Russia had agreed to Ukraine having Article-5 like agreements with Western countries to intervene if Russia attacked again.
Russia has since rubbished Witkoff’s claims and expressed anger about Western guarantees for Ukraine being discussed without Moscow at the table. Instead, Lavrov suggested on Wednesday, Russia should be able to have veto power over what agreements Ukraine comes to with Europe and the US over its security.
Zelensky, meanwhile, has indicated he wants to meet with Putin one-on-one, and Trump remained hopeful on Friday.
“We’re going to see if Putin and Zelenskyy will be working together,” Trump told reporters.
“It’s like oil and vinegar a little bit. They don’t get along too well for obvious reasons. But we’ll see. And we’ll see whether or not I would have to be there. I’d rather not, I’d rather them have a meeting and see how they can do.”
But Trump renewed threats of imposing sanctions on Russia after their military hit an American factory in Ukraine.
“I’m going to make a decision as to what we do and it’s going to be, it’s going to be a very important decision, and that’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both, or we do nothing and say it’s your fight,” Trump said Friday at the White House.
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