The whole world is worried about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. People were hoping that perhaps soon Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would sit face-to-face and move towards a solution. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has made it clear that no such meeting has been scheduled yet.
This statement has come amid the peace initiative of former US President Donald Trump. Trump is constantly trying to get Russia and Ukraine to move towards an agreement. He has also tried to advance the agenda of peace talks by meeting Putin and Zelensky. But Russia says that there is no concrete agenda at the moment, so there is no need for a meeting.
Lavrov’s Statement: “The Agenda is Not Ready”
Lavrov said in an interview to NBC News that “Putin will be ready to meet Zelensky only if the agenda of the meeting is clear and at the presidential level. At present no such agenda is ready.”
His statement clearly indicates that Russia is in no hurry to hold a direct summit with Ukraine. While the US is very active about such a meeting, the White House is trying to decide the place and date for the meeting of Putin and Zelensky.
Background: Trump’s Diplomatic Efforts
Donald Trump recently met Putin in Alaska. After that, he also talked to Zelensky and European leaders in Washington. After this, Trump suggested that Russia and Ukraine should hold direct talks.
Trump said that if both countries show some flexibility on some issues, then the path to a peace agreement can be easy. For example:
- The issue of NATO membership
- Border and territorial disputes
- Security guarantees
But according to Lavrov, “Zelensky said no on every issue.”
Russia’s Allegations and Ukraine’s Response
Lavrov accused Zelensky of not being serious in talks with Russia. He said that “Zelensky is not even ready to lift the ban on the Russian language. What should we talk to such a leader?”
However, the reality is that Ukraine never imposed a complete ban on the Russian language. But Putin has long been claiming that Ukraine has discriminated against Russian-speaking people and committed genocide against them.
Zelensky hit back at Russia, saying that “Russia is making excuses to avoid the meeting and at the same time is constantly attacking Ukraine.” He also said that if Putin backs out of the talks, the US and European countries should take tough economic and political steps.
Latest Situation of War
Russia recently carried out a major airstrike on Ukraine. In this, about 600 drones and 40 ballistic and cruise missiles were fired. In these attacks, an American company “Flex Electronics” located in western Ukraine was also targeted, where at least 15 employees were injured.
This attack shows that Russia is in no mood to reduce the war in any way right now. On the contrary, it is also targeting Ukraine’s infrastructure and foreign companies.
Trump and Putin’s Relationship
Interestingly, Putin praised Donald Trump. He said that “Trump’s arrival has brought new hope in the relations between America and Russia.” Putin believes that Trump’s leadership ability can help restore relations between the two countries.
Putin said that “the relations between America and Russia are at the lowest level since the Second World War. But the meeting in Alaska was positive and now talks are also going on between ministries, agencies and companies. I hope that this will be the beginning of a new era of relations.”
Zelensky and Trump’s Conversation
Trump supported Ukraine on the social media platform Truth Social and wrote that “If a team has a great defense, but is not allowed to attack – then it can never win.”
He was pointing out that Western countries are giving defensive weapons to Ukraine, but are banning offensive weapons.
Zelensky agreed with Trump and said that “Ukraine’s defense is not enough, we have to be able to be offensive as well.”
Post-War Security Guarantees
This week, the defense chiefs of the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Ukraine held a meeting. It discussed what kind of security guarantees could be given to Ukraine after the war.
The idea is that even if the US does not send troops directly, Ukraine’s security can be ensured through air support and modern weapons.
On behalf of Russia, Lavrov said that “We are in favor of giving real and reliable security guarantees to Ukraine. But if there is an attempt to resolve this issue by keeping Russia out, it will fail completely.”
Roots of War: Tensions Continuing Since 2014
It is also important to understand that this war did not suddenly start in 2022. In 2014, Russia occupied the Crimea peninsula. Since then, tensions between Russia and Ukraine kept increasing.
Conflict continues in the Donbass region, where Russian-backed rebels are active. Putin claims it is necessary to protect Russian-speaking people there, while Ukraine says it is a pretext for Russia to occupy Ukrainian land.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, turning the war into a global crisis.
Conclusion: Is Peace Possible?
Looking at today’s situation, it seems that the road to a direct peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is still long. Russia says that there is no clear agenda for the meeting, while Ukraine alleges that Russia is deliberately avoiding talks and at the same time intensifying attacks.
Trump’s efforts are certainly important from a diplomatic point of view. But the question is, can Russia and Ukraine really trust each other?
History shows that whenever a war drags on, in the end both sides have to come to the negotiating table. Perhaps we have not reached that point yet, but the world’s hopes are pinned on the fact that Putin and Zelensky will someday sit face to face and end this bloodshed.
