Russia rejects Putin-Zelensky meeting after Ukraine delegation says they are ready

 

Russia’s chief negotiator on Sunday shut down the idea of a possible meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, a day after his Ukrainian counterpart said peace talks had advanced to the point where a sit-down between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders was possible.

“The draft agreement is not ready for submission to a meeting at the top,” Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on Telegram, according to a Reuters translation. “I repeat again and again: Russia’s position on Crimea and Donbas remains UNCHANGED.”

Medinsky added that the Ukrainian side had “become more realistic” in some of its stances.

David Arakhamia, the head of Ukraine’s peace talks delegation, struck a different tune on Saturday, telling Ukrainian television that “documents have been developed enough to hold a direct consultation between the two leaders.”

Arakhamia said his Russian counterparts had reached agreements on everything except the status of Crimea, an area of southern Ukraine that Russia annexed in 2014.

Moscow and Kyiv have held a number of negotiations, most recently in Istanbul, since Russia invaded Ukraine 39 days ago. Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to resume Monday by video.