Kremlin States Three-Way Summit Possible Only for Finalizing Ukraine Deal

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, citing Anatolia news agency based on Mehr News Agency reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could only be held to finalize agreements on settling the conflict in Ukraine.

Responding to media reports suggesting that CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed such a meeting during his recent visit to Moscow, Peskov told Russian television network VGTRK that the possibility of a trilateral summit has been under consideration for some time.

He elaborated, “The agreements are not a preliminary accord. This is a complex settlement process that involves a great many details.”

Peskov asserted that a meeting of the three presidents solely to discuss the details of a potential agreement would be entirely unproductive, arguing that any such gathering must be aimed at the finalization of agreements. He also accused Kyiv of disinclination to engage in efforts to achieve a genuine accord.

American outlet Axios had previously reported that Ratcliffe had discussed the possibility of a meeting between Putin, Trump, and Zelensky during his trip to Moscow.

The Kremlin had previously stated that a trilateral summit requires significant preparatory work and should take place after progress in negotiations.

Peskov separately announced that Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will discuss Armenia’s planned referendum on its future relations with the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union during their visit to Bishkek from August 31 to September 1.

Peskov added that Putin would use this session to reiterate Moscow’s arguments on the matter.