Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Volodymyr Zelensky is unlikely to happen in the near future.
His statement came a day after the White House said it was “open” to the idea of such a meeting.
According to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Peskov also downplayed expectations of any immediate breakthroughs in the ongoing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul.
“Some agreements have been reached between the parties – they are important and will be implemented,” he said.
Peskov added that compromises on Russia’s part are a matter for closed-door negotiations with Ukraine and cannot be made public. He said that the decision to publish the Russian draft memorandum was made by Vladimir Medinsky after it was discussed with the Ukrainian side.
He also criticized Zelensky’s recent remarks following the Istanbul talks, calling them “awkward and unsuccessful” and saying they “do not correspond to the spirit of the negotiations.”
In remarks following the talks, Ukrainian President reaffirmed Kyiv’s commitment to ending the war – but emphasized that this cannot come at the cost of legitimizing Russia’s aggression.
“The key to lasting peace is clear: the aggressor must not receive any reward for war,” he said. “Putin must get nothing that would justify his aggression.”
He added that Kyiv is “ready to take the necessary steps for peace,” while making it clear that there was no major shift in Ukraine’s negotiating position.
Zelensky, during a meeting in Vilnius with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, commented on the second round of talks:
“While there are no meaningful signals from Russia to end the war, it is important to strengthen our defense, especially by investing in Ukrainian production. This is the basis for peace talks,” Zelensky wrote on Facebook.
Peskov confirmed that Moscow maintains channels of dialogue with Washington and continues to use them. He said a new contact between Putin and Trump could be organized quickly “if necessary,” though no such plans are currently in place.
Commenting on recent reported incidents at Russian railways and airfields over the weekend, Peskov urged the public to wait for the results of the investigation and to “focus on the content of statements from the Russian Defense Ministry.”
“The President received updates about the incidents in real time. An investigation is underway, launched by the Investigative Committee of Russia,” he said.
Kyiv and Moscow have agreed to exchange all badly wounded prisoners of war under the age of 25, according to Ukrainian officials. Each side also agreed to return the bodies of 6,000 fallen soldiers apiece, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said following the Istanbul meeting.
Zelensky later confirmed that both sides had passed documents via Turkish mediators and were preparing a new POW exchange.
Meanwhile, Russia rejected Ukraine’s proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, instead offering a limited 2-to-3-day truce, officials said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed hope to host a meeting later this month attended by Presidents Putin, Zelensky, and possibly Trump, saying: “My greatest wish is to bring them together in Istanbul or Ankara.”