Moscow stonewalling on leaders summit: Zelenskiy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy insists that Russia insists on doing everything to stop a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Putin, while the Russian Foreign Minister claims that the agenda of such a summit is not ready.
The Ukrainian leader called for Putin to meet him again, saying that it was the only way to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump, who promised to end what he calls “blood bath” in Ukraine, said that after a call with the Russian leader on Monday, he started organizing the Putin-Zelenskiy meeting.
Zelenskiy accused Russia of stopping.
“The Russians are doing everything they can to prevent the meeting,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, “The Russians are doing everything to prevent the meeting. He said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the NBC on Friday, that there was no agenda for such a summit.
“Putin is ready to meet Zelenskiy when the agenda is ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all,” he said.
In a statement, Moscow reiterated his resident discourse that a leader meeting was impossible unless certain conditions were fulfilled.
Trump, who was asked to ask Lavrov’s response to his comments and next steps, told reporters: “Well, we’ll see. We’ll see if Putin and Zelenskiy will work together. A little oil and vinegar.”
Thousands of Ukrainian civilians were killed in the full -scale invasion of Ukraine initiated by Russia in 2022.
Analysts estimate that more than one million soldiers on both sides have been killed or injured and the fight continued.
Russia has continued its long -standing demand for Ukraine to quit the land in two eastern regions.
It also proposes to fully freeze the façade in the two regions in the two south of Moscow, and to give back small parts of the other Ukraine region, which it possibly controls.
In the meantime, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine could not negotiate under the barrel of the gun before, but it reduced a long cease -fire demand as a prerequisite for the meeting of the leaders.
On Friday, he called on Russia’s allies to print Russia to “at least a minimal productive position”, including implementing new sanctions unless Russia showed interest in peace.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Rutte, Zelenskiy said that they discussed security guarantees for Ukraine by other states.
He said that the guarantees should be similar to Article 5 of NATO, who saw an attack against a member of the Alliance as an attack on a member of the Alliance.
Zelenskiy said, “This is not the beginning and not easy of a great initiative, because guarantees are that our partners can give to Ukraine and we can find the opportunity to protect the power of the Ukrainian Army and the power of the army.” He said.
Rutte said that NATO allies and Ukraine’s security guarantees are so solid, and that Russia would never try to attack again.
“Solid safety guarantees will be required and we are currently working on to define it,” he said.
Authorities said that on Thursday, military chiefs from the US and some European countries offer options for national security advisors to provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
Zelenskiy’s Chief of General Staff Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian television on Friday, Kiev expects to see the first drafts of security guarantees next week.
