Mr Zelensky again called for a personal meeting with Mr Putin.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has again called for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying only such a summit can ensure a "truly lasting" peace. Moscow, for its part, says this is pointless until the two countries' delegations find common ground.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky on July 19 once again called for a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, proposing to hold a new round of talks next week to speed up negotiations.
"A meeting at the leadership level is necessary to truly ensure a lasting peace," Mr Zelensky said, adding that "Ukraine is ready".
The call comes as peace talks between the two sides have stalled. In May, after President Putin offered Kiev to resume direct talks without preconditions, Ukraine initially agreed to send its own delegation, reportedly under pressure from Washington. Since then, the two sides have held two rounds of talks, resulting in prisoner exchanges but no breakthrough in ending the conflict.
The talks have been deadlocked since June, after Kiev rejected Moscow’s peace proposals. Ukraine later declared the process “exhausted” and said it had only taken part to avoid being seen as undermining US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic initiative.
For its part, Moscow has been skeptical of Zelensky’s motives. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently accused the Ukrainian leader of pushing for a personal meeting with Putin to reaffirm his political legitimacy. Ms. Zakharova said that Zelensky was “paranoidly afraid of being forgotten, of becoming unnecessary to the West.”
According to RT, Mr. Zelensky's presidential term expired last year, but he has repeatedly cited the state of emergency he imposed as a basis for continuing in office. This unclear legal status was also an issue raised by President Putin.
Mr Putin has previously confirmed that he is open to a potential meeting, but questioned Mr Zelensky's authority to sign any binding agreements. "I am ready to meet with anyone, including Mr Zelensky. That is not the point," the Russian president said in June. "The question is elsewhere: Who will sign the documents?"
In Moscow’s view, legal authority in Ukraine now lies with parliament, not Mr Zelensky. On July 15, Ukrainian lawmakers again extended martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days.
