President Donald Trump‘s efforts to bring together Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a peace summit have hit a major roadblock. The latest setback comes as Russia continues to signal it is not prepared for direct talks between the two leaders.
Trump had announced plans to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy following his own separate meetings with both leaders. The US president met Putin in Alaska on August 15, then hosted Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House three days later. After those talks, Trump said he would work to set up a bilateral meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, followed by a three-way summit.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov poured cold water on these plans during an interview with NBC News on Friday. “Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all,” Lavrov told the network. He accused the Ukrainian president of rejecting all of Trump’s proposed peace terms during the White House meeting.
Russia blames Ukraine for blocking progress
Lavrov claimed that Zelenskyy had said “no to everything” when Trump presented what he described as key principles for a peace deal. These included Ukraine giving up its NATO membership aspirations and discussing territorial issues with Russia. The Russian diplomat also criticized Zelenskyy for allegedly refusing to cancel legislation that he claimed banned the Russian language, asking, “How can we meet with a person who is pretending to be a leader?”
The Trump administration had previously suggested that the president was making significant progress toward ending the Ukraine conflict, but Russia’s latest stance shows the deep challenges still facing any peace process. Ukraine has disputed Russia’s characterization of the talks, with Zelenskyy accusing Moscow of doing everything possible to prevent a meeting from taking place.
European officials have expressed skepticism about Russia’s true intentions. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted that “Russia has not made one single concession, and they are the ones who are the aggressor here.” French President Emmanuel Macron also voiced doubts about Putin’s desire for peace, stating bluntly that he does not believe the Russian leader wants to end the war.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continued their attacks on Ukrainian cities even as diplomatic efforts were underway. On Thursday, Russia launched one of its biggest aerial attacks of the war, hitting targets across Ukraine, including an American electronics business. This ongoing military action has undermined claims that Moscow is serious about pursuing peace talks.
The stalled summit plans represent a significant setback for Trump, who had made ending the Ukraine war a key priority of his presidency. The president had originally imposed an August 8 deadline for Putin to agree to end the war or face new sanctions. However, instead of imposing those penalties, Trump chose to meet with Putin in Alaska. Since that meeting produced no concrete ceasefire agreement, Trump has faced growing questions about his ability to deliver on his campaign promises regarding the conflict.
Zelenskyy has accused Russia of deliberately dragging out peace talks to avoid punishing American sanctions that Trump has threatened to impose if Moscow does not participate in negotiations. “We believe that everything must be done so that Russia cannot continue to hide from the meeting,” the Ukrainian leader said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Kyiv.
Published: Aug 23, 2025 10:47 am