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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
A meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin with Donald Trump’s participation may take place much later than the Ukrainian side wants. The Kremlin is not interested in talks that could halt hostilities without prior results on the front, and rushing a summit could create additional risks for Kyiv.
Diplomat Vadym Prystaiko explained in an exclusive interview for 24 Channel under what condition Putin might agree to meet with Zelenskyy, why Trump is able to pressure Ukraine in particular, and what dangers a possible leaders’ summit could hide.
Why Putin Is in No Hurry to Meet Zelenskyy
Talks about a possible meeting of the presidents of Ukraine and Russia with Donald Trump’s involvement intensified amid discussion of the G20 summit in Miami. But, as Prystaiko noted, the U.S. president did not announce a concrete invitation to Zelenskyy and Putin; he only answered affirmatively to a journalist’s question about such a possibility.
In the diplomat’s view, the meeting itself is quite possible, but its timing depends primarily on the position of the Russian president. Ukraine is interested in negotiations because it seeks an end to the war, whereas Putin does not want to sit at the negotiating table if that could lead to a halt in hostilities without results favorable to him.
"It can happen as soon as Putin wants it to. Because for obvious reasons we wanted it yesterday,"
Prystaiko explained.
He suggests that the Russian leader may delay the process until he sees the possibility of achieving at least minimal successes on the front. The other option is realizing that the desired result cannot be achieved militarily, and then agreeing to negotiations.
"Putin does not want to agree to any meeting that could lead to any cessation of military actions until he can secure minimal achievements on the front," the diplomat emphasized.
Full conversation with Prystaiko: watch the video
Why the Meeting Could Turn into Pressure on Ukraine
A separate risk, according to Prystaiko, is that Donald Trump may try to reach agreements more quickly by persuading not Russia but Ukraine to make concessions. The diplomat explains this by the logic of the so-called "low-hanging fruit"—when the side from which it is easier to obtain agreement becomes the first target for pressure.
"And in this case it could happen at these negotiations that Ukraine itself will be that fruit hanging lowest on the tree. And in order to achieve progress, the American president will consider who is easier to convince: Putin or pushing Ukraine,"
he noted.
Prystaiko warns that such pressure could concern U.S. military and technological support, including supplies of Patriot systems and Starlink service. At the same time, Ukraine should beforehand define its own red lines and understand which compromises it is ready to make and which concessions are unacceptable.
"Our argument must be our red lines, which we will give up one by one. We can give up this line if we achieve, say, a ceasefire for a year, and so on,"
the diplomat explained.
In his view, it is important for Ukraine not to rely solely on personal agreements between leaders or diplomatic pressure, but to have a clearly developed position backed by military resilience, public support, and partner assistance.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Путін не піде на зустріч із Зеленським, поки не досягне однієї мети: що задумав Кремль". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
