The White House press secretary reported that Vladimir Putin agreed to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky for peace talks. The US government plans to hold this meeting by the end of August, but the Kremlin is in no hurry to disclose specific details.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, emphasized the need for phased negotiations at a lower level before the summit. This suggests that Russia is more focused on signing agreements rather than actively starting negotiations.
According to Axios, Putin made a demand regarding the withdrawal of Ukraine from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as freezing the line of hostilities in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. These are extremely complicated conditions that will almost certainly be rejected by Zelensky.
Zelensky is willing to discuss territorial issues, but he expresses confidence that there will be no direct withdrawal of territory. Meanwhile, the White House is considering the possibility of 'land swaps', although this will be an extremely complicated agreement for the Ukrainian leader.
The Ukrainian government insists on obtaining security guarantees from allies to prevent a future Russian invasion. The US and some European countries are preparing detailed proposals on this issue.
Trump has ruled out the possibility of deploying American troops on the ground but does not exclude the involvement of American aviation. Meanwhile, Russia categorically rejects the possibility of a NATO military contingent in Ukraine.
According to Axios, Putin has not yet shown active efforts towards a peace agreement with Ukraine. Many officials suspect him of playing for time and delaying the peace process. A quick agreement that Trump desires remains unlikely against the backdrop of the significant distance between the parties on key issues.
Representatives of the White House and the Kremlin are actively negotiating a possible meeting between Putin and Zelensky to resolve tense territorial issues. Both sides are facing difficulties in establishing specific terms of the agreement, and negotiations continue. Ukraine remains in a tense situation, trying to ensure its security and prevent further escalation of the conflict.