On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that President Vladimir Putin is willing to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, he emphasized that preparing for high-level summits requires time, despite European leaders suggesting that discussions could occur within the next two weeks.
“We’re not dismissing any format of negotiations, whether bilateral or trilateral. The president [Putin] has reiterated this many times,” Lavrov shared with the state broadcaster Rossia 24. His comments followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement a day earlier regarding preparations for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin, mentioning that a trilateral session involving himself would also occur later.
The Kremlin has not yet confirmed whether discussions for such a summit have begun, only stating that they are “considering the possibility” of holding direct dialogues with Ukraine after a phone conversation between Trump and Putin on Monday.
This exchange took place after Trump concluded a productive multilateral meeting with European leaders and Zelensky at the White House, during which he suggested that Ukraine might receive security assurances as part of a potential peace settlement with Russia.
On Monday, Zelensky expressed his willingness to meet with Putin.
Previously, Moscow had rejected the idea of direct talks with Zelensky, citing a 2022 decree prohibiting negotiations with Putin. An unnamed senior Ukrainian official told Politico Europe earlier this year that the decree aimed to “prevent Ukrainian politicians from pursuing independent negotiations with Russia,” though it does not prevent Zelensky from directly engaging with Putin.
“Any interactions involving top leaders must be handled with the utmost care,” Lavrov said in his interview with state media on Tuesday, even after a swift summit between Putin and Trump was organized last week in Alaska.
At the White House on Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that a meeting between Zelensky and Putin was anticipated by the end of August.
Lavrov also criticized Ukraine’s language policies, claiming they infringe upon the rights of Russian-speaking Ukrainians, and condemned Kyiv’s European partners for ignoring these alleged human rights violations.
At the same time, the Russian foreign minister complimented Trump and his administration for aligning more closely with Putin’s call to address the “root causes” of Russia’s invasion, referring to the recent Alaska summit, which he described as having a “very good” atmosphere.
Lavrov has previously characterized NATO’s expansion to the east after the Soviet Union’s collapse and Ukraine’s purportedly “anti-Russian” policies as the “root causes” of the conflict. He asserted that any peace agreement must consider Russia’s national security.
“Without acknowledging Russia’s security interests and fully respecting the rights of Russians and Russian-speaking individuals in Ukraine, no long-lasting agreements can be achieved,” he declared.
