Zelensky pushes for Putin summit

Ukraine is pressing for a face-to-face meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin as U.S.-backed peace talks stall. (usnews.com) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on April 22 that Kyiv wants a summit “now” and has asked Turkey to help host it. He said Ukraine would consider any venue outside Russia and Belarus. (usnews.com) (kyivindependent.com) Zelensky said the talks should not wait until the Iran war is “closed,” and told CNN it would be a “challenge” for Washington to mediate both conflicts at the same time. He also called for trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States. (cnn.com) (kyivindependent.com) The push comes after a year of U.S.-mediated contacts that, according to the Associated Press, made little or no progress on core questions including the status of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims but does not fully control. Zelensky has accepted an unconditional ceasefire demanded by President Donald Trump, while Putin has refused, according to the same report. (usnews.com) The Kremlin says a summit can happen only at the very end of a process, not at the start. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 22 that Putin is ready to meet Zelensky only if the meeting is used to “finalize” agreements that have already been reached. (kyivindependent.com) (independent.co.uk) That leaves the two sides arguing over the purpose of leader-level talks. Kyiv is treating a summit as a way to restart diplomacy, while Moscow is treating it as a signing ceremony after negotiators settle the terms. (kyivindependent.com) (independent.co.uk) Ukraine is making that case as its officials say the battlefield has become less favorable for Russia. Sybiha said Ukraine’s frontline position is the “strongest” in a year, and The Independent cited Institute for the Study of War data saying Russia made almost no territorial gains in March, its weakest month in roughly two and a half years. (independent.co.uk 1) (independent.co.uk 2) The war itself has not paused for diplomacy. The Associated Press reported a Ukrainian drone strike hit a residential building in Russia’s Samara region on April 22, while the Kyiv Independent reported that Russia launched 155 drones at Ukraine overnight into April 23 and that Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 139. (usnews.com) (kyivindependent.com) Putin and Zelensky have not met face to face since the full-scale invasion began, with their last in-person encounter dating to the 2019 Normandy format talks. For now, Kyiv is asking for a summit to break the deadlock, and the Kremlin is saying a summit can only ratify a deal that does not yet exist. (kyivindependent.com)