Kremlin: no progress on possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin
The spokesman of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, said that Ukraine and Russia still have not found understanding regarding the possible agenda of the meeting of Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
"Indeed, contacts are being made between the Office of the Ukrainian President and the presidential administration of our country, with Kozak [Putin’s deputy chief of staff], in order to find the list of issues that could be discussed. Different proposals have been voiced and formulated. But so far, just because of some dry understanding and readiness to formulate the agenda, there is no possibility for a meeting," said Peskov, commenting on Russian media reports that the Kremlin allegedly sent Ukraine "its vision" of the meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Putin a few months ago. According to the reports, Putin’s plan consisted of 12 points.
Press Secretary of the Ukrainian President, Serhiy Nikiforov, told the news agency UNIAN that "the Ukrainian President will be ready to discuss the agenda proposed by Moscow, but such fundamental issues as Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territory or the detention of Ukrainian citizens will disappear from it."
According to Nikiforov, Zelensky believes that a direct dialogue with Putin should be based on what "Ukrainian and Russian societies consider a priority, and this is the way to peace."
"And after that, the negotiations can touch other points, such as the restoration of diplomatic relations or transport links," Zelensky's representative said.
On April 20, Zelensky offered Putin to meet anywhere in the Ukrainian Donbas.
In response, the Russian president said that Zelensky should first hold peace talks with the leaders of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, and if he wants to talk about Russian-Ukrainian relations, he can come to Moscow at any time. Putin's representative then added that "Crimea is out of question" for discussion between Ukraine and Russia.
On September 12, Zelensky's speaker Serhiy Nikiforov said that Zelensky’s administration did not see the point in meeting with Putin without discussing Crimea.