No meeting planned between Putin, Zelenskyy: Lavrov

KABUL (Pajhwok): Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says no meeting is planned between President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, casting new doubt on President Donald Trump’s push for a summit to end the war.

“Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all,” Lavrov told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in an exclusive interview.

“President Putin said clearly that he is ready to meet provided this meeting is really going to have an agenda, presidential agenda,” Lavrov said.

He suggested that Ukraine was the one hindering progress toward a peace deal.

The White House has been working to secure a summit location and date following Trump’s meeting with Putin in Alaska and subsequent talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders in Washington.

But Russia has signaled that it is in no rush for a Putin-Zelenskyy one-on-one, and on Thursday launched one of its biggest aerial attacks of the war hitting targets across Ukraine including an American electronics business.

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