Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on August 21 that President Vladimir Putin is prepared to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but stressed that all key issues must be thoroughly negotiated in advance. He also raised concerns about Zelenskiy’s authority to sign any future peace agreement.
Lavrov told reporters that Putin has repeatedly expressed willingness to hold talks with Zelenskiy. However, such a meeting would only happen if all matters requiring top-level decisions are fully prepared by experts and ministers beforehand.
Lavrov added an important caveat:
“When and if – hopefully when – it comes to signing agreements in the future, the question of the legitimacy of the person signing on behalf of Ukraine must be resolved.”
The Kremlin has repeatedly questioned Zelenskiy’s legitimacy, as his presidential term was due to expire in May 2024. However, Ukraine postponed elections because of the ongoing war. Kyiv maintains that Zelenskiy remains the legitimate president under wartime law.
Russian officials fear that if Zelenskiy signs a peace deal now, a future Ukrainian leader could challenge its validity, arguing that Zelenskiy’s term had technically ended.
This statement comes after the first Russia-U.S. summit in over four years, held in Alaska, where Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed ways to end the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Following the summit, Trump announced that he had begun arranging a potential meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy, followed by a trilateral summit involving the United States.
European leaders remain skeptical about Moscow’s commitment to peace and are exploring credible options to guarantee Ukraine’s security with minimal U.S. involvement.
Lavrov accused key European powers, including the U.K., France, Germany, and Italy, of trying to undermine progress made during the Alaska summit.
“They are not interested in a sustainable, fair, and long-term settlement. Their agenda is to ensure Russia’s strategic defeat,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov suggested that the best framework for security guarantees should be based on the negotiations held between Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul in 2022.
According to a draft document seen by Reuters, Ukraine would agree to permanent neutrality in exchange for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia.
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