Diplomatic Standoff: Hope for a Putin-Zelenskiy Meeting

The possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy hinges on the attainment of certain agreements, according to the Kremlin's announcement on Saturday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov withheld details on what specific agreements Russia demands. A direct meeting has not occurred since December 2019, despite Zelenskiy's recent challenge to meet in Turkey. Instead, Putin deployed aides to hold bilateral talks with Ukrainian negotiators — the first since March 2022.

Ukraine raised the issue of a leader summit during the negotiations. Peskov suggested such a meeting could be conceivable, contingent upon mutual strides toward achieving tangible agreements. Contentiously, Peskov highlighted the importance of who would sign any resulting documents from the Ukrainian side, underscoring past encounters questioning Zelenskiy's legitimacy due to the expiration of his elected term.

(With inputs from agencies.)