Putin rejects request to meet Zelensky
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, said that it was unlikely that such a meeting could occur by the end of August, as Ukraine has proposed.
He added: 'A summit meeting can and should put an end to the settlement and formalise the modalities and agreements that are to be worked out in the course of expert work.
'It is impossible to do the opposite. Is it possible to complete such a complex process in 30 days? Obviously, it is unlikely.'
The remarks came after Mr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, proposed a four-way summit with Russia, the United States and Turkey to progress Donald Trump's efforts to end the three-year war.
Earlier this week, Mr Zelensky said negotiation to bring an end to the conflict 'probably begins with a meeting of leaders. It won't work any other way with them'.
It is thought that Putin is holding out on any settlement while his armed forces are on the ascendency on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The situation for Kyiv's troops defending the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donetsk region, was becoming increasingly perilous, analysts said.
Meanwhile, Moscow continues to reject Ukrainian and US proposals of an unconditional, 30-day ceasefire, which could pave the way for more substantial peace talks.
Russia has been holding out in three rounds of direct talks with Ukrainian officials with demands Kyiv says are unacceptable, such as withdrawing troops from four regions partially occupied by Moscow.
Mr Trump said a meeting between Mr Zelensky and Putin was three months overdue, before boarding a flight to Scotland on Friday.
'It's going to happen. But it should have happened three months ago. It's going to happen,' he said.
Mr Trump added that the 100 per cent tariffs on Russia, and its allies purchasing Moscow's fossil fuels, could come sooner than the 50-day deadline set earlier this month.
Mr Zelensky is attempting to steel himself for a long war by convincing European allies to help finance increased wages for his soldiers.
He is also trying to convince allies to deliver seven Patriot air-defence systems – more than the five already agreed between Germany and the US.
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump could meet Putin as soon as next week, White House official says
The White House said Mr Trump was also open to a meeting with both Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Trump would be their first since Mr Trump returned to office this year. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff shake hands during their meeting in Moscow on Wednesday (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) It would be a significant milestone in the three-year-old war, though there is no promise such a meeting would lead to the end of the fighting since Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on their demands. News of a potential meeting with Mr Putin, which was first reported by The New York Times, came hours after Mr Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met Mr Putin in Moscow. Mr Trump had posted earlier on Truth Social that Mr Witkoff 'had a highly productive meeting' with Mr Putin in which 'great progress was made'. It was not immediately clear if Mr Putin or Mr Zelensky had agreed to any meetings with Mr Trump. Mr Zelensky has been willing to meet face-to-face with Mr Putin to end the conflict, but Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea. Mr Trump has met Mr Zelensky several times this year, including a contentious February meeting in Washington. Though he has not yet met Mr Putin this year, Mr Trump met with him five times during his first term. Mr Trump said earlier on Wednesday that he updated America's allies in Europe and that they will work toward an end to the Russia-Ukraine war 'in the days and weeks to come'. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: 'The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky.' Her statement did not address the potential timing of any meeting. Mr Witkoff met Mr Putin days before the White House's deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil. The meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Witkoff lasted about three hours, the Kremlin said. Mr Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Mr Putin and Mr Witkoff had a 'useful and constructive conversation' that focused on the Ukrainian crisis and, in a nod toward improving relations between Washington and Moscow, 'prospects for possible development of strategic co-operation' between the United States and Russia.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Trump could meet Putin over Ukraine as soon as next week, official says
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"The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskiy," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, responding to the report. A Trump-Putin meeting could take place as soon as next week, the White House official said. A German government spokesperson said Trump provided information about the status of the talks with Russia during a call with the German chancellor and other European heads of government. The details emerged following a meeting on Wednesday between Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff that Trump said had achieved "great progress." It comes two days before a deadline set by Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports, including oil. The White House official said that while the meeting had gone well and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the United States, secondary sanctions that Trump has threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. No details were provided. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox Business' "Kudlow" later on Wednesday that more had to be done to reach an agreement between the parties. "Today was a good day, but we got a lot of work ahead," he said. "There's still many impediments to overcome, and we hope to do that over the next few days and hours." A Kremlin aide earlier said Witkoff held "useful and constructive" talks with Putin on Wednesday. The two met for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the 3-1/2-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 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Putin is unlikely to bow to Trump's sanctions ultimatum because he believes he is winning the war and his military goals take precedence over his desire to improve relations with the U.S., three sources close to the Kremlin have told Reuters. The Russian sources told Reuters that Putin was sceptical that yet more U.S. sanctions would have much of an impact after successive waves of economic penalties during 3-1/2 years of war.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Xi Jinping can't afford for Russia to make peace in Ukraine
Of particular importance is China's role as an enabler of Russia's drone warfare campaign, a combat tactic that has been the hallmark of the war in Ukraine. Russia is believed to import millions of dollars worth of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from China each year, in addition to producing UAVs jointly with Chinese firms inside Russia. Intelligence assessments suggest that Russia established a secret UAV factory in China through IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned arms company Almaz-Antey, where engineers developed and flight-tested a new model of a long-range combat drone called Garpiya-3 (G3). Helping to fuel the Russian wartime economy, China (along with India) has been a top importer of Russian oil, having accounted for 47 per cent of Russia's crude oil exports in June 2025. Much of Russia's oil exports are transported by a shadow fleet of unmarked tankers in order to bypass the sanctions regime. Last week, Beijing rebuffed US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's threat of a 100 per cent tariff if it continues this practice. Further aligning itself with Moscow against the US, China has set out to increase gas imports from Russia, while cutting liquefied natural gas purchases from the US. Why is China so invested in assisting Russia's fight against Ukraine? Beijing's rationale can be illustrated by the following Chinese allegory. 'As two tigers are fighting ferociously in the valley, a sage monkey is sitting on top of the mountain, looking down and waiting to see how it will end.' Beijing sees itself as the wise monkey, waiting patiently as Moscow and Washington erode their respective combat arsenals. Indeed, although China and Russia publicly portray themselves as allies, having declared a 'no limits partnership' in 2022, they are in fact strategic opponents, linked in an opportunistic relationship aimed at achieving the common goal of limiting US and Western geopolitical dominance. China and Russia have had multiple border clashes during their turbulent history and to this day maintain a territorial dispute in Russia's Far East. Demographically declining, Russia views decades-long migration of Chinese citizens into its Far East region as a grave threat. Putin warned as far back as 2000 that if Russia did not undertake the 'real effort' to develop its Far East in the short term, then 'a few decades from now its Russian population will mostly be speaking Japanese, Chinese, and Korean'. China is incentivised to prolong the conflict in Ukraine by its desire to reduce the US weapons stockpile, which has already been depleted to dangerous levels as a result of US assistance to Ukraine and to Israel. China sees the erosion of American combat readiness as crucial in preventing the US from intervening in China's future invasion of Taiwan, which some US military commanders assess as probable around 2027. For Beijing, fulfilling its 'One China' grand plan by 2049 by securing control over Taiwan is likely to take priority over maintaining a transactional relationship and avoiding a trade war with Washington. Thus far, Russia has largely brushed off President Trump's various manoeuvres. Beijing, meanwhile, has been conducting joint Chinese-Russian naval exercises in the Sea of Japan. The signal from Moscow and Beijing to Washington is clear – peace in Ukraine is counter to both of their agendas.
