(MENAFN) Moscow’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky should meet only once a peace treaty is fully prepared for signing. This comment came after the third round of talks in Istanbul concluded on Wednesday.

While Rustem Umerov, who led Ukraine’s delegation, had suggested a meeting between the two leaders next month to help break the deadlock, Medinsky argued that such a face-to-face meeting would be pointless unless the terms of the agreement are already agreed upon. “The meeting needs thorough preparation and a clear agenda,” he said, emphasizing that it should serve to finalize and sign the deal rather than to restart negotiations.

Medinsky referenced the Chinese Civil War as an example, noting that multiple meetings between Chiang Kai-shek and his opponents failed to end the conflict despite photo opportunities and smiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed this, saying that agreements must be settled first before a Putin-Zelensky meeting can happen.

Although Putin has questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, he expressed openness to a meeting at the final stage of talks last month. Zelensky, whose term expired in May 2024, has not called for new elections due to martial law, which Moscow demands be lifted as a precondition for a lasting ceasefire. Russia also requires Ukraine to hold elections within 100 days after martial law ends.

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