Trump-Putin meet in jeopardy? Russia refuses US President's one condition for Ukraine peace talks - What does it mean?

A planned summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may not go ahead after the Russian president refused to meet Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, a potential condition for the US-Russia talks.

Mixed signals from both sides as summit talks stall

On Thursday, conflicting statements from Washington and Moscow suggested deep confusion over the planned summit. While the Kremlin claimed talks were progressing for a bilateral Trump-Putin meeting next week, Putin dismissed the idea of a meeting with Zelensky. “I have nothing against it in general,” Putin said, “but certain conditions must be created for this… we are still far from creating such conditions.”

White House wants Putin to meet Zelensky first

Following a Kremlin meeting with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Washington indicated that Trump would only sit down with Putin if the Russian president agreed to meet Zelensky, something Putin has long resisted. A White House official told The New York Post that Trump’s condition for talks was a meeting with Zelensky. But Moscow rejected the idea, saying the three-way summit had only been “mentioned by the American side” and wasn’t up for discussion. “We propose focusing on preparations for a bilateral meeting with Trump in the first place,” said Putin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Could the UAE host the Trump-Putin summit?

While no venue has been finalised, Putin hinted that the United Arab Emirates, where he met Mohamed bin Zayed this week, could host the summit. “We have many friends… one of them is the president of the UAE,” he said.

Ukraine and Europe alarmed by backdoor diplomacy

The idea of Trump and Putin deciding Ukraine’s future without Kyiv or European input has rattled officials in Ukraine and EU capitals. Zelensky stressed the need for leaders to directly engage on key decisions. “We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that the search for real solutions can become truly effective only at the level of leaders,” he posted on Telegram.

Later, he said he spoke to Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France’s President Emmanuel Macron, coordinating a joint European position. “We both understand the need for a common European vision of key European security issues,” Zelensky said.

Putin still cold on meeting Zelensky directly

Despite repeated calls from Kyiv, Putin has shown no interest in sitting down with Zelensky. He insists lower-level negotiations must continue, but progress has stalled, with Moscow sending only junior officials to talks in Turkey.

Trump signals frustration with Moscow

In recent weeks, Trump has criticised Russia more openly, calling its strikes on Ukrainian civilians “disgusting.” He also threatened sanctions if a deal wasn’t reached by Friday. While new tariffs were imposed on India over its purchase of Russian oil, Trump seemed pleased with Witkoff’s visit. Ushakov described the discussions as “businesslike” and hinted at a future of closer ties between the US and Russia. “Russian-US relations could be based on a completely different, mutually advantageous scenario,” Ushakov said.

Will the Trump-Putin summit still happen?

Trump told reporters the summit could happen “very soon.” However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was more cautious: “Obviously, a lot has to happen before that can occur.” If the meeting does go ahead, it would be the first US-Russia leaders’ summit since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva back in 2021.