Russia has yet again ignored Donald Trump’s bid to hold a summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky and said attempts to resolve security issues for Kyiv without Moscow’s participation was a “road to nowhere”.
“We cannot agree with the fact that now it is proposed to resolve questions of security, collective security, without the Russian Federation. This will not work,” Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told a joint press conference after meeting Jordan’s foreign minister.
The US is reportedly eyeing Budapest as a location for a possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
“I am sure that in the West and above all in the United States they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia, it’s a road to nowhere,” he said.
This comes as European countries are reportedly pressing Trump to send fighter jets to Romania as part of security guarantees for Ukraine.
Military chiefs from several countries are discussing the use of American F-35s in Romania, where Nato is building its largest European airbase, to deter Russia from reinvading, according to The Times.
Where could Putin and Zelensky meet for Ukraine war summit?
Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin could meet for the first time in six years in the hope of ending the Ukraine war – but it remains unclear just where the two leaders will come face-to-face.
The White House is in the process of selecting a location for the potential meeting, that has been championed by the US president Donald Trump.
Here are the potential destinations where a summit between Putin and Zelensky could take place:
Vance says Europe will have to take ‘lion’s share’ of burden for Ukrainian security
US vice president JD Vance has said that European countries will have to pay the “lion’s share” of costs for Ukraine’s security guarantees.
“I don’t think we should carry the burden here…. The president certainly expects Europe to play the leading role here,” Vance told Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” show.
“No matter what form this takes, the Europeans are going to have to take the lion’s share of the burden. It’s their continent, its their security, and the president has been very clear – they are going to have to step up here”.
As Donald Trump seeks to strike a peace deal to end Russia’s three and half year old war, one of Ukraine’s priorities is security guarantees against Russian aggression.
Trump has said he will not put US troops on the ground there but could offer US air support.
Russia’s Lavrov says talks on Ukraine’s security without Moscow are ‘utopia’
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said attempts to resolve security issues relating to Ukraine without Moscow’s participation are a “road to nowhere”.
Mr Lavrov, a key aide to Vladimir Putin, was speaking at a joint press conference in Jordan yesterday, where he pointedly made no reference to Donald Trump’s public calls for a summit between Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.
He criticised talks about future security guarantees for Ukraine that were let by European leaders this week, calling them “rather clumsy” and “unethical” and adding: “We did not hear any constructive ideas from the Europeans there.”
“We cannot agree with the fact that now it is proposed to resolve questions of security, collective security, without the Russian Federation. This will not work,” he said.
“I am sure that in the West and above all in the United States they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia, it’s a road to nowhere.”
Lavrov added that Russia believed security guarantees should be ensured on an equal basis with the participation of countries such as China, the United States, Britain and France, a Russian news agency said.
What security guarantees may look like
International “reassurance” forces could be deployed in Ukraine after a ceasefire or peace deal:
Key territories Putin wants handed over
Russia occupies nearly 20 per cent of Ukraine already. See our map of occupied territories that it wants:
Is the UK ready to put boots on the ground in Ukraine?
See how Britain’s military equipment and defence spending have changed over time:
Russian allies Belarus and Iran agree to boost defence ties
The Belarus leader said he backed Iran’s “legitimate right to develop peaceful nuclear energy”:
Allies working on new plan, says Zelensky aide
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff says Ukraine is working on a plan with its allies if Russia prolongs the war or disrupts agreements on leaders’ meetings.
Andrii Yermak said the allies had already begun active work on a military component of security guarantees for his country.
UK military chief meets Nato counterparts for Ukraine talks
The head of Britain’s armed forces has met with his Nato counterparts as Europe continues to push for security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin met senior US defence officials alongside other European military chiefs in Washington DC on Wednesday to discuss military options to secure peace in Ukraine.
He later attended a virtual meeting of Nato’s military committee, described by its chairman Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone as “candid”.
On Tuesday evening, Admiral Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, had dined with his US counterpart General Dan Caine.
Watch: Firefighters battle Ukrainian energy facility blaze after Russian drone strike
