Moscow has not ruled out a future meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, but insists negotiations must follow “expert-level” groundwork, with Ukraine first accepting key Russian demands, including neutrality.
Russian President told Ukraine to accelerate negotiations based on previous Istanbul discussions, with Moscow indicating readiness to resume talks after 22 June.
Putin proposes restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul without preconditions, revisiting a format that collapsed in 2022 over Russian demands for capitulation.
Following a brief pause after the February 12 call with Trump, Russia has renewed its claims of Ukrainian illegitimacy and is pushing for regime change and disarmament.