Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Moscow is ready to upgrade the level of peace talks with Ukraine.
According to RT, Lavrov said on August 20 that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed this idea following a phone call with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on August 18. The call took place at the same time that Trump was meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders at the White House.
It is not yet clear whether Lavrov’s statement about upgrading the delegation’s status implies the possibility of direct negotiations between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine in the future. Lavrov also stated that the upgrade of the delegation would include considering “a series of separate issues to address the political aspects in the conflict resolution process, beyond military and humanitarian matters.” He added that Russia had proposed the establishment of three working groups to discuss this agenda during the most recent direct talks with Ukraine, but Kiev “has not responded so far.”
This year, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of direct negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey. However, these talks have not achieved major breakthroughs, with the parties only exchanging prisoners.
After meeting with the President of Ukraine and European leaders at the White House on August 18, Trump emphasized that Ukraine would not be able to join NATO, while also mentioning the possibility of a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
For his part, President Putin said he does not rule out the possibility of meeting Zelensky, but only on the condition that both sides make significant progress in the negotiations. Additionally, Moscow expressed concern over Zelensky’s legitimacy, as his presidential term ended in 2024 while Ukraine has not yet held new elections due to being under martial law.