Kremlin
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on May 17 that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian
2 Institute for the Study of War and AEI’s Critical Threats Project 2025
President Volodymyr Zelensky may meet only if the Russian and Ukrainian delegations reach
unspecified agreements and underscored that all talks should be conducted behind closed doors.[7]
Peskov’s statements are likely intentionally vague in order to further delay progress in RussianUkrainian talks. Russian opposition outlet Verstka reported on May 17 that a source close to the
Russian Presidential Administration stated the Kremlin viewed discussions between Putin and
Zelensky as “out of the question” as Moscow knew that the conditions it was pushing Ukraine to accept
were non-starters for Kyiv.[8] Another Verstka source close to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA) similarly stated that Russian officials do not plan to discuss preparations for a Putin-Zelensky
meeting. Russia has doubled down on its efforts to protract peace processes by continuing to present
Ukraine with ultimatums that Ukraine cannot accept. The Verstka source close to the Presidential
Administration added that Russia’s demand that the Ukrainian–Russian talks occur without a mediator
shows that the Kremlin seeks to demonstrate that it is capable of demanding that the United States
limit the influence of Ukraine’s Western partners. Peskov’s comments and Verstka’s report cohere with
ISW’s long-standing assessment that Russia remains committed to prolonging peace negotiations so as
to continue making battlefield advances and to extract additional concessions from the West.[9]
Ukraine has continually demonstrated its willingness to compromise and engage in good-faith
negotiations in contrast.
Russia’s continued protraction of negotiations emphasizes its unwillingness to engage in good-faith negotiations for either a ceasefire or a final peace agreement
