Putin Punks Trump: Moscow Stalls on Zelenskyy Summit Despite Trump’s Pressure Campaign
“Step by step, gradually” — Russia’s foreign minister made it clear that any meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy will be dragged out, leaving Trump’s big peace push in limbo.
Trump’s Summit Pitch Meets Moscow’s Stonewalling
Donald Trump walked out of his White House meetings with European leaders this week acting like he’d cracked the code to peace in Ukraine. The former president hyped up a dramatic trilateral summit featuring himself, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the fast track to ending Russia’s brutal war. But Moscow wasted no time pumping the brakes.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told state TV that while Russia doesn’t “refuse talks,” any summit must be prepared “step by step, gradually, starting from the expert level and then going through all the necessary stages.” Translation: don’t expect Putin to show up across the table from Zelenskyy any time soon. This isn’t new. Back in May, Putin floated the idea of meeting Zelenskyy, only to dodge and send lower-level envoys. Russia’s latest hedging fits the same pattern, agreeing in theory while sabotaging in practice.
Trump’s Desperation Shows Through
Trump, meanwhile, couldn’t wait to tell the cameras about his phone call to Putin, which he made with Zelenskyy and European leaders still in the White House.
“At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky,” Trump bragged.
On a hot mic, Trump was even more revealing: “I think he wants to make a deal. I think he wants to make a deal for me,” he told French President Emmanuel Macron. The slip confirmed what many suspected Trump is less interested in a real peace process than in securing a legacy-saving deal. But Moscow’s carefully hedged language suggested Putin wasn’t about to hand Trump a political win. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the call but framed it as a vague discussion about “raising the level of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations,” not any concrete agreement.
Zelenskyy Open, Europe Skeptical
Zelenskyy played along for now, telling reporters, “We are ready,” and promising details “in the next week or 10 days.” European leaders were cautious at best. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz admitted Trump and Putin discussed a meeting “within the next two weeks,” but added, “We don’t know whether the Russian president will have the courage to attend such a summit.” Macron was even blunter, warning that the next 15 days would be critical to see if Putin was serious. “Persuasion is needed,” he said, underscoring just how thin the trust in Moscow runs.
Putin Still Wants Ukraine to Kneel
Nothing in Putin’s rhetoric suggests he’s shifted from his hardline war goals. In Alaska last week, he repeated that the “root causes” of the conflict must be addressed Kremlin shorthand for forcing Ukraine to accept neutrality, surrender more land, gut its military, and abandon NATO aspirations. Those demands remain politically impossible for Kyiv. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to spin Putin’s lip service as progress, telling Fox News, “Just the fact that Putin is saying, ‘sure, I’ll meet with Zelenskyy’ that’s a big deal.” But even he admitted, “We’re not there yet.”
The Bottom Line: Russia Talks About Talks, Not Peace
Once again, Russia is playing its well-rehearsed game: nodding toward negotiations while dodging accountability. Trump wants a quick headline victory, Zelenskyy wants a real commitment, and Europe wants guarantees. Putin, however, seems content to dangle the possibility of a summit as leverage dragging Trump along while continuing to wage war. For now, Moscow’s message is blunt: don’t mark your calendar. Russia is willing to talk about talking, but not to commit to peace.
