Putin Open to Meeting Zelenskiy If Key Issues Are Resolved – Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly open to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss ending the war in Ukraine but the Kremlin is casting doubt on whether Zelenskiy has the legal authority to sign any future peace deal.

Speaking on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Putin remains “ready to meet” Zelenskiy but emphasized that any high-level talks must be thoroughly prepared by experts and ministers ahead of time. He also questioned whether Zelenskiy, whose term officially expires in May 2024, has the constitutional legitimacy to represent Ukraine in such negotiations.

“Of course, with the understanding that when and hopefully when, it comes to signing future agreements, the issue of the legitimacy of the person who signs them from the Ukrainian side will be resolved,” Lavrov said.

Kyiv has consistently maintained that Zelenskiy remains the country’s legitimate president under wartime provisions. No new elections have been held due to the ongoing conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The renewed push for a Putin-Zelenskiy meeting follows last week’s historic summit between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska — the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in over four years. Trump later told reporters that efforts are underway to organize a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy, potentially followed by a three-way summit including himself.

As diplomatic activity intensifies, Lavrov warned against what he called European attempts to derail progress made during the Alaska summit. He also rejected calls to abandon the framework of the 2022 Istanbul negotiations — which ultimately failed — and instead suggested revisiting a proposed draft agreement from that period.

According to a version of that draft seen by Reuters, Ukraine would have agreed to permanent neutrality in exchange for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, and France.