Kremlin Plays Down Talk of Putin-Zelensky Summit
The Kremlin has dismissed speculation of an imminent summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed push for direct talks to end the war. Trump, who met Putin in Alaska last week and hosted Zelensky and European leaders in Washington, admitted peace would be difficult to achieve and suggested Putin may not be ready for a deal. Moscow insists any meeting must first undergo lengthy preparations, while European leaders voiced skepticism, with France’s Emmanuel Macron calling Putin “a predator” and Finland’s Alexander Stubb warning he is “rarely to be trusted.”
