Putin says conditions for meeting Zelensky not met

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that “conditions” for a potential meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky had not been met, hours after the Ukrainian leader repeated a call for direct talks.

“I have nothing against it in general, it is possible, but certain conditions must be created for this. But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions,” Putin told reporters at the Kremlin.

Putin said in June he was ready to meet Zelensky, but only during a “final phase” of negotiations on ending the more than three-year conflict.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian bombardments have forced millions of people to flee their homes and have destroyed swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.

Putin has resisted multiple calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire.

At talks in Istanbul, Russian negotiators outlined hardline territorial demands if Ukraine wants Russia to halt its advance — calling for Kyiv to withdraw from some territory it still controls and to renounce Western military support.

Reports of the upcoming summit came after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow.

Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting with Zelensky, but Putin appeared to rule out direct talks with the Ukrainian leader.

Zelensky earlier on Thursday had refreshed his call for a meeting with Putin — which he says is the only way to make progress towards peace.

“It is necessary to determine the timing for such a format and the range of issues to be addressed,” he wrote on social media.

The Ukrainian leader later spoke with his European allies, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as he called for the continent to be included in any potential peace talks.

“The war is happening in Europe, and Ukraine is an integral part of Europe — we are already in negotiations on EU accession. Therefore, Europe must be a participant in the relevant processes,” Zelensky said on social media after the call with Merz.

He also said that he would hold several other conversations throughout the course of the day, including with Italian officials.

“Today, security advisors will hold an online meeting to align our joint views — Ukraine and the whole of Europe, the United States,” Zelensky said.

“Ukraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same brave approach from the Russian side. It is time we ended the war,” he added.

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