On Sunday, Russia’s Foreign Minister announced that there were no current plans for a meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a development that represents a setback for President Donald Trump’s peace initiatives.
Sergey Lavrov stated in an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, “Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all.”
A meeting between Zelensky and Putin had been a primary objective for Trump following his discussions with Putin in , which aimed to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
Trump revealed after the meeting that the U.S. had “begun arrangements” for a direct meeting between the leaders of the warring nations. He posted on Truth Social: “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”
Lavrov’s remarks suggest that President Trump might have misjudged the momentum of the overall peace discussions between the two countries. Lavrov claimed that Russia desires peace, despite Russia launching some of its most aggressive strikes
“We want peace in Ukraine. President Trump wants peace in Ukraine,” Lavrov asserted. He continued, “The reaction to the Anchorage meeting, the gathering in Washington of these and what they were doing after Washington, indicates that they don’t want peace.”
Trump and Putin in the war during their meeting, although Trump claims that it was “extremely productive.”
Trump had originally established an for Putin to conclude the war in Ukraine or face severe sanctions, but he has since revised this deadline. On Friday, Trump stated he would give Russia “a couple of weeks” before imposing consequences.
“But I’ll know in two weeks what I’m going to do,” Trump told reporters.
On Monday, Trump met with Zelensky and committed to Ukraine that he would join Europe in providing security guarantees to Kyiv. In recent weeks, Trump has seemingly prioritized a peace approach more aligned with Putin’s— specifically, pursuing between the two nations, rather than the ceasefire that Ukraine has called for.
Lavrov’s interview was broadcast on Sunday, coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day. Zelensky marked the occasion with a speech in Kyiv’s central square, where he called for a “just peace, a peace where our future will be decided only by us.”