MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Saturday said a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be possible only after both sides reach an agreement.
The development comes a day after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct talks in more than three months.
The Kremlin has said that Ukraine and Russia must first complete an agreed prisoner-of-war exchange and come up with ceasefire conditions before planning any new talks.
“For now, we need to do what the delegations agreed on yesterday,” in Turkey – the first direct talks in over three years – the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists following a question on whether there were plans for a second round of talks. “This, of course, means first and foremost to complete a 1,000 for 1,000 (POW) swap.”
Peskov said Russia considered such a meeting was possible, but only as a result of work between the two sides to “achieve certain results in the form of agreements”.
He added: “At the same time, when signing documents that the delegations are to agree upon, the main and fundamental thing for us remains who exactly will sign these documents from the Ukrainian side.”
Zelensky’s legitimacy as president
Putin has previously challenged Zelensky’s legitimacy as president because his elected term of office expired last year. Ukraine, under martial law as it defends itself against Russia, has not set a date for a new election.
Putin had declined to travel to Turkey for the meeting, with Zelensky accusing him of being “afraid” and Russia of not taking the talks “seriously”.
“Yesterday in Istanbul, everyone saw a weak and unprepared Russian delegation with no significant powers. This must change. We need real steps to end the war,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader attended a European summit in Albania alongside the leaders of France, Germany, Britain, and Poland, among others, where he urged a “strong reaction” from the world if the Istanbul talks failed, including new sanctions.
Macron said European nations were coordinating with the United States on additional sanctions against Russia should Moscow continue to refuse an “unconditional ceasefire”.
Both Moscow and Washington have talked up the need for a meeting on the conflict between Putin and Trump. Trump has said “nothing’s going to happen” on the conflict until he meets Putin face-to-face.
