- Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky when the agenda is ready for the meeting, and this agenda is not ready at all - said the Russian Foreign Minister.

The White House is working to organize a meeting place and date after Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska and talks with Zelensky and European leaders in Washington.

However, Russia made clear it was in no rush for a one-on-one meeting between Putin and Zelensky, launching one of its most massive airstrikes of the war on Thursday, targeting targets across Ukraine, including a US electronics company.

- President Putin has clearly said that he is ready for a meeting provided that the meeting really has an agenda, a presidential agenda - said Lavrov, suggesting that it is Ukraine that is blocking progress towards a peace agreement.

Lavrov: Zelensky said"no" to everything

- After Anchorage, President Trump proposed several points that we share, and around some of them we agreed to show some flexibility - he said, referring to the meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15.

- When President Trump raised... those issues at the meeting in Washington, it was very clear to everyone that there are several principles that Washington believes must be accepted, including non-membership in NATO and including the discussion of territorial issues, and Zelensky said"no" to everything - Lavrov claimed.

- He even said"no", as I said, to the repeal of the law banning the Russian language. How can we meet with a person who pretends to be the leader - he added.

Ukraine has not banned the Russian language, but Putin has long claimed, without evidence, that Kiev committed genocide against Russian speakers in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass, reminds NBC.

He also tried to question the legitimacy of Zelensky, who was democratically elected president of Ukraine in 2019, but due to the war, new elections were not held after the formal expiration of that mandate.

On Thursday, Zelensky said that Russia was trying to"avoid" holding the meeting, accusing it of continuing"massive attacks" on Ukraine. He stressed that he was"ready" to meet with Putin and called for a "strong response from the United States," including tougher sanctions and new economic pressure, if Putin refused.

Lavrov's comments came after Russia launched its biggest attack since early July, firing nearly 600 drones and 40 ballistic and cruise missiles overnight Thursday into Friday, including an attack on the US Flex electronics factory in western Ukraine that injured at least 15 workers.

"You can't win a war without an offensive"

US President Donald Trump accused former US President Joseph Biden of not allowing Ukraine to attack targets on the territory of Russia as an aggressor country.

- It is very difficult, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking the attacking country. It's like in sports when a team has a great defense, but is not allowed to play offensively - said Trump on his social network"Truth Social".

In that case, he added,"there is no chance of victory."

- It is the same with Ukraine and Russia. The dishonest and extremely incompetent Joe Biden did not allow Ukraine to respond, but only to defend itself. What came of it? - the American leader stated.

He repeated that the war"would never have happened" if he had been the president and assessed that "interesting times are ahead of us".

Zelensky said that Trump is"absolutely right" when he says that Ukrainians must have other means of protection besides defense.

"Utopia and the Road to Nowhere"

Talks on post-war security guarantees for Ukraine advanced this week, with defense chiefs from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Ukraine meeting to agree on the protections Kiev's allies could offer in the deal. Military options developed there will now be presented to national security advisers for consideration in ongoing negotiations, the US military said.

Trump said the US would help Europe provide security guarantees in any deal with Russia, noting that would not include US ground forces but could include air support.

Lavrov said earlier this week that Moscow is committed to"really reliable" security guarantees for Ukraine, but that any attempt to solve the problem without Russian participation is"utopia and a road to nowhere."

"Those two are like oil and vinegar"

Donald Trump, the president of the USA, commented on the statement of Sergey Lavrov, who said that a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky is not currently planned.

Answering questions from journalists, Trump had a graphic comparison between Putin and Zelensky.

- These two are like oil and vinegar, they don't get along very well. For obvious reasons. We will see if they cooperate - said Trump.

He pointed out that he is still not sure whether he will attend the eventual meeting of the two warring leaders.

- We'll see if that happens. And then we'll see if I have to be there or not. I would rather not be - added the American president.