Kremlin rejects bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky, proposing "Istanbul format" - ISW
Kyiv • UNN
The Kremlin continues to evade a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky, as proposed by Trump. Moscow stated its readiness for negotiations in the "Istanbul format," which "differs from a meeting of heads of state."
The Kremlin continues to hint that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is unwilling to immediately hold a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the format proposed by US President Donald Trump. This is stated in the material of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
Details
Analysts indicate that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated the day before that Putin confirmed his readiness to continue direct negotiations with Ukraine in the "Istanbul format."
Russian and Ukrainian delegations held three rounds of bilateral talks in Istanbul since February 2025, resulting in nine prisoner exchanges, but nothing more
ISW suggests that Lavrov tried to present the Kremlin's proposal to continue negotiations within the framework of the "Istanbul Agreement" and working groups as fulfilling Putin's promise to Trump to hold a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy.
However, continuing negotiations within the framework of the "Istanbul Agreement" is very different from a bilateral meeting at the level of heads of state, and Lavrov's statement is likely part of the Kremlin's ongoing efforts to delay peace talks and shift blame for the delay to Ukraine and the West," analysts summarize.
Recall
According to RaiNews, US President Donald Trump postponed his own vacation amid preparations for another round of talks between Russia and Ukraine. According to him, Zelenskyy and Putin are "in the process of organizing" a bilateral meeting.