In the midst of international diplomacy, at a time when exchanges of fire and Russian advances continue unabated on the battlefields of Ukraine, the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky is coming to an end, as demonstrated by the developments and statements of Sergey Lavrov, Donald Trump and the Europeans.

Opposite courses

Hopes for a meeting that could bring an end to the war had been nurtured throughout the previous period by US President Donald Trump in an effort to prove to the world that he is a peacemaker. Ultimately, however, the opposing paths taken by Moscow on the one hand and Kiev and European capitals on the other after the Alaska summit and the discussion with the Europeans and Zelensky at the White House, removed the success of… the presidential hopes for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Lavrov: The agenda is not ready and Zelensky says no to everything

The postponement of a Putin-Zelensky meeting to the Kalends was essentially confirmed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, claimed that: No meeting has been scheduled. Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky when the agenda for this summit is ready. And this agenda is not ready at all.

These statements may not constitute a flat denial by Russia of such a meeting, but they are certainly not enough for US President Donald Trump to celebrate a peace victory. In this context, Lavrov argued in the same interview that Russia, for its part, agreed to demonstrate flexibility on a number of issues set as conditions by the US president.

According to Lavrov, Washington would like the warring parties to accept several principles for a future settlement, including Ukraine’s non-membership in NATO and talks on land swaps. But as he pointed out: Zelensky said no to all of that. After that he became more… specific about what was to happen, saying: How can we meet with a person who pretends to be a leader.

These statements by Lavrov follow similar statements by the same.

Trump on the possibility of a meeting not happening: Three for oil...

In addition to the above, US President Donald Trump himself made statements on the subject of a possible meeting, commenting: We'll see if Putin and Zelensky work together. You know, it's kind of like oil and vinegar. They don't get along very well, for obvious reasons.

In his statements, the American president also appeared to have doubts about whether a trilateral meeting - an idea that he himself had floated a week ago as the ultimate move that would provide a definitive solution to the war in Ukraine - between himself and Putin-Zelensky is necessary. As he characteristically said, he would prefer not to attend such a meeting.

Kaya Kalas: Putin doesn't want peace. He laughs and keeps murdering

The conclusion drawn from both the specific positions and from what followed the summits and meetings on Ukraine in the previous days was summarized from the EU side by the EU High Representative for Defense and Foreign Policy, Kaya Kalas, who clarified that: Russia does not want peace. Russian President Vladimir Putin does not keep any of the promises he makes. He simply laughs, he does not stop the killings, but increases them.

As he added: You see Europeans, Ukrainians, Americans wanting peace and making all diplomatic efforts to achieve it, while Russia is simply obstructing, it is clear that Russia does not want peace.