Ukraine war: Kremlin says Putin, Zelensky, and Trump meeting ‘unlikely'
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it was 'unlikely' a meeting between Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump would take place soon, a day after the White House said it was 'open' to the idea.
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'In the near future, it is unlikely,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the chances of a meeting, adding that such a summit could only happen after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reach an 'agreement'.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that work on trying to reach a settlement to end the war in Ukraine was extraordinarily complex and that it would be wrong to expect any imminent decisions, but that it was waiting for Ukrainian reaction to its proposals.
The Kremlin was commenting after Russia told Ukraine at peace talks in Turkey on Monday that it would only agree to end the fighting if Kyiv gives up big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army, demands Ukraine has repeatedly rejected.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (third from left) presides over the second round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Despite dismissing such proposals previously, Ukraine has said it will take some time before formally responding to Russia.
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