Putin-Zelenskyy Meeting is a Distant Prospect: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has hinted that a direct meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, which US representatives have been talking about recently, is still quite far off.

"Our president has repeatedly said that he is ready to meet, including with Mr. Zelenskyy, with the understanding that all issues that need to be discussed at the highest level will be well worked out, and that experts and ministers will prepare the relevant proposals," Lavrov said after negotiations with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, reports "Interfax".

The Russian Foreign Minister again questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Moscow insists that his presidential term has expired, but Ukrainian legislation clearly prohibits holding elections during wartime. Other countries and international organizations have no doubts about Zelenskyy's legitimacy.

The US insists that direct negotiations between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine could take place in the near future. They began to talk about this after the meeting between Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska and the subsequent summit with Zelenskyy and European leaders.

However, Russian officials note that the Kremlin leader can meet with Zelenskyy only after reaching preliminary agreements on ending the war.