Russia FM Lavrov Says No Putin-Zelenskyy Summit Amid Trump Push/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Russia’s foreign minister said Friday no meeting is planned between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, countering U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims. Trump has tried to broker a peace summit, but Moscow insists key issues must be resolved first. Ukrainian and NATO leaders say Russia is stalling while escalating attacks.
Putin-Zelenskyy Summit Denial: Quick Looks
- Sergey Lavrov says no Putin–Zelenskyy meeting is scheduled.
- Trump claims he began arranging a summit with both leaders.
- Moscow insists senior officials must settle conditions first.
- Ukraine demands Western security guarantees; Russia calls them meaningless without its input.
- NATO chief Mark Rutte stresses strong guarantees are essential.
- EU’s Kaja Kallas warns concessions would reward Russian aggression.
- Ukraine continues counterattacks, striking Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline.
- Conflict enters its third year with no ceasefire in sight.
Russia FM Lavrov Says No Putin-Zelenskyy Summit Amid Trump Push
Deep Look
MOSCOW / KYIV — Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that no direct meeting is planned between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, directly contradicting claims from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has publicly pushed for a peace summit to end the war.
Lavrov’s comments came in a taped interview for NBC’s “Meet the Press”, where he emphasized that Moscow has no intention of holding a Putin–Zelenskyy summit unless critical conditions are resolved in advance.
“There is no meeting planned,” Lavrov stated, underscoring that peace discussions must begin at a lower diplomatic level before heads of state get involved.
Trump’s Mediation Push Meets Resistance
Earlier this week, Trump said he had spoken to Putin and initiated arrangements for a trilateral meeting, with himself joining the talks after Putin and Zelenskyy. But Russian officials have repeatedly objected to key elements of U.S.-backed proposals, fueling doubts over Moscow’s willingness to seriously engage.
On Thursday, Lavrov left the door open slightly, saying Putin would consider meeting Zelenskyy only after diplomats worked out major sticking points — a process that could take months or longer given the vast divide between the two sides.
Ukraine, NATO Insist Russia Is Stalling
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy pushed back forcefully, saying Russia is dragging out diplomacy to avoid real negotiations while continuing to wage war.
“The Russians are trying to do anything to avoid the meeting. The issue is not the meeting itself, the issue is that they do not want to end the war,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv.
Rutte backed Zelenskyy, stressing that Trump has made Ukrainian security a “priority issue.” He outlined a two-part system of guarantees under discussion: strengthening Ukraine’s armed forces and securing long-term commitments from the U.S. and Europe.
EU Cautions Against Falling Into Putin’s ‘Trap’
Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned against considering territorial concessions to Russia as part of peace talks.
“This is exactly the trap that Russia wants us to walk into,” Kallas told the BBC. She argued that granting concessions would reward Moscow for launching the invasion and ignore the fact that Russia has made “not one single concession.”
Kallas said Putin’s negotiating strategy has been to increase attacks even while peace discussions are floated, noting that Trump has urged Putin to stop the killing, but the Russian leader has instead escalated bombardments.
Escalation on the Battlefield
Even as peace talk rumors circulated, the war’s intensity showed no sign of easing. A major Russian drone and missile strike this week hit an American-owned electronics plant in Ukraine, provoking criticism from Trump, who said Putin’s actions undermined his own credibility during supposed negotiations.
Ukraine responded by targeting Russian energy infrastructure. On Friday, Ukrainian forces struck the Druzhba oil pipeline — one of Russia’s most important export routes — hitting the Unecha pumping station in Bryansk region.
According to Ukrainian commander Robert Brovdy, known as “Magyar,” the attack used HIMARS rockets and drones. Bryansk’s governor confirmed the assault, saying emergency teams were working to contain damage.
The Druzhba pipeline carries Russian oil into Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Hungary, making it a critical artery of Moscow’s economy. Recent strikes have already pushed Russian gasoline prices to record highs, highlighting Ukraine’s new strategy of targeting key economic lifelines.
A War With No Clear Path to Peace
The conflict is now in its third year since Russia’s 2023 invasion, and efforts at brokering peace remain mired in disagreements.
Ukraine continues to demand Western-backed security guarantees to prevent another Russian offensive in the future. Moscow, meanwhile, insists any such arrangement is meaningless unless Russia itself is included in designing the framework.
While Trump is publicly framing himself as a mediator capable of “breaking the deadlock,” European leaders remain skeptical that Putin has any genuine interest in compromise.
For now, Lavrov’s unequivocal statement suggests that hopes of a Putin–Zelenskyy summit remain slim, and that both the war and the diplomatic impasse are likely to drag on.
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