The Kremlin is likely concerned that a bilateral meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could undermine Putin's domestic justification for Russia's war in Ukraine. This is stated in a material by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reported by UNN.
Details
It is noted that earlier, one of the Russian opposition publications, citing sources in the Kremlin, reported that the Kremlin considers a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy in the near future unlikely.
A political strategist working in the Kremlin reported... that Putin and his advisors fear reputational consequences as a result of a meeting with Zelenskyy. A source working with the Kremlin's domestic political projects stated that the statement by Kremlin aide Yuriy Ushakov on August 18 about "raising the level" of delegations at negotiations "looks more like a polite refusal" of the proposed meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy
In their opinion, the Kremlin has not committed to a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy after the Trump-Putin conversation on August 18, and Kremlin officials led by Foreign Minister Lavrov continue to directly reject such a meeting in the near future.
"The Kremlin is trying to balance between satisfying a domestic audience that has been conditioned to accept nothing less than a complete Russian victory in Ukraine, and preventing further US sanctions that could affect Russia's ability to sustain its military efforts," ISW summarizes.
Recall
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia is trying to disrupt diplomatic meetings on ending the war. He emphasized that Ukraine is open to productive negotiations, and if Russia refuses diplomacy, powerful sanctions are needed.