Journalism of Courage
Russia says Putin ready to meet Zelenskyy but claims Kyiv rejected all peace principles
Speaking to NBC TV’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker” programme, Lavrov also said Russia had agreed to be flexible on a number of points raised by US president Donald Trump
August 22, 2025 10:42 PM IST
First published on: Aug 22, 2025 at 06:46 PM IST
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US Donald Trump has announced plans to convene a face-to-face summit between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his latest bid to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine. (AP) Days after the announcement of a possible meeting between Russian and Ukrainian heads of states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said President Vladimir Putin is willing to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy once a concrete summit agenda is agreed, but that no such meeting is currently planned, Reuters reported.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, Lavrov claimed Kyiv had rejected key proposals aimed at advancing peace talks. “When presented with several principles necessary for peace progress, Zelenskyy said ‘no to everything’,” he said.
Lavrov added that Moscow was prepared to show flexibility on a number of issues raised by US President Donald Trump during recent discussions in Alaska.
US President Donald Trump this week acknowledged that Zelenskyy and Putin “have not been exactly best friends,” as he pressed for a face-to-face meeting he hopes could pave the way to ending Moscow’s three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy and Putin last met in 2019 for talks aimed at resolving the conflict triggered by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014. That summit, held shortly after Zelenskyy’s election, produced a pledge to implement “all necessary ceasefire support measures” by year’s end and to exchange all prisoners of war — commitments that ultimately went unfulfilled.
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