The Kremlin is signaling caution on U.S. President Donald Trump's push for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, tempering expectations that the wartime leaders will meet soon despite White House assurances.
Trump, who met Putin in Alaska last week and then hosted Zelenskyy and seven European leaders in Washington on Monday, has floated a two-week timeline for a bilateral meeting. "We're going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks," Trump said on Tuesday. "It's possible that he doesn't want to make a deal."
While Trump has suggested he would prefer Putin and Zelenskyy first meet without him, he added he was ready to join "if necessary." Kremlin officials, however, emphasized that any such talks would require extensive preparation. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian state TV that discussions should begin "gradually... starting with the expert level and thereafter going through all the required steps."
Deputy UN envoy Dmitry Polyanskiy echoed the sentiment, telling the BBC that "nobody [had] rejected" talks but warned it "shouldn't be a meeting for the sake of a meeting." Moscow has also dismissed suggestions of NATO troops in Ukraine as part of any deal. "We reaffirm our categorical opposition to any scenarios involving the stationing of a NATO contingent in Ukraine," the Russian foreign ministry said Monday.
At the same time, European leaders have been coordinating their own initiatives. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired a virtual "coalition of the willing" session on Tuesday with EU Council President António Costa. A Downing Street spokesperson said the allies would "further strengthen plans to deliver robust security guarantees" for Kyiv in the coming days.
The White House has leaned on this European-led framework. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday, "I can assure you that the United States government and the Trump administration is working with both Russia and Ukraine to make that bilateral happen as we speak."
Trump has ruled out deploying U.S. troops but suggested the U.S. could provide "help by air" if European allies committed ground forces under a postwar settlement. He has also indicated security guarantees for Ukraine could be formalized within days. Zelenskyy has welcomed those assurances, describing them as "a key issue, a starting point towards ending the war."
Meanwhile, Trump has raised the prospect of new economic measures to pressure Moscow. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said Tuesday that the president told him by phone he was prepared to "crush" Russia's economy with sanctions if Putin refused to meet with Zelenskyy. Graham noted a bipartisan bill backed by 85 senators that would sanction buyers of Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other exports, though Trump has not yet endorsed it.
European skepticism remains strong. Macron described Putin as "a predator, and an ogre at our doorstep," expressing "the greatest doubt" that the Kremlin leader truly seeks peace. Finnish President Alexander Stubb also voiced doubts, saying Putin was "rarely to be trusted."
