Putin is (nearly) ready to meet Zelenskyy

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy if the groundwork is done beforehand, the Kremlin announced Monday.

“I want to remind you that the president himself does not rule out holding such a meeting after the necessary work is done at the expert level and the necessary distance has been covered,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

However, he added, that preparatory work “has not yet been done.”

Zelenskyy called for a direct meeting with Putin last week after the Kremlin chief expressed hope for further peace talks and said Russian troops were “advancing on the entire front line.”

“We understand who calls the shots in Russia, and thus Ukraine is once again offering to move beyond technical talks — not to exchange statements, but to actually meet at the level of leaders,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Aug. 1.

Peskov’s statements came ahead of the Friday deadline of U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face tariffs.

Trump originally gave Russia a 50-day deadline, but shortened it to 10 days last week after expressing he was “disappointed” with Putin.

Trump also said his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would visit Russia in the coming days. Peskov said “we are always happy to see Mr. Witkoff in Russia.”