Moscow continues to put the brakes on Putin and Zelensky meeting

In principle, Moscow is open to any format for talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on state television. "But all contacts involving the heads of state must be prepared extremely carefully," he added. Russia had previously used this argument to reject Zelenskyi's demands for a quick meeting with Putin.

According to Moscow, lower-level delegations must first negotiate an agreement. Only then will the heads of state themselves step up to the plate and sign the pre-negotiated agreement. Little progress has been made so far in the bilateral negotiations between Kiev and Moscow, which have been ongoing since May. Several major prisoner exchanges have been negotiated.

Selensky calls for direct meeting with Putin

However, the two sides are still far apart when it comes to the conditions for a ceasefire or even a final peace - which is why Zelenskyi has repeatedly called for a meeting with Putin, as he is the only one in Moscow who can end the war.

Following meetings - first in Alaska with Putin and then in Washington with Zelensky and other European heads of state and government - US President Trump gave the impression that he was close to a peace solution. Accordingly, a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is to be organized within the next two weeks. This is to be followed by a trilateral summit with Trump to discuss the conditions for an end to the war.

Lavrov: We didn't want any more territory

In addition to Kiev's renunciation of NATO membership, Moscow is also demanding the renunciation of larger Ukrainian territories - including those that Russian troops have not yet taken under their control.

Lavrov claimed in the interview that Russia was not interested in additional territory. "Neither Crimea, nor the Donbass, nor New Russia (i.e. southern Ukraine) as territories were ever our goal. Our goal was to protect the people, the Russian people, who have lived in these regions for centuries," said the Foreign Minister. Yet the war ordered by Putin has claimed tens of thousands of victims, especially among the majority Russian-speaking population of eastern and southern Ukraine.