Russia Friday ruled out an immediate meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, as diplomatic tension escalated with the Ukrainian president and US mediation efforts appeared to stumble.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said 鈥榥o meeting鈥� between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky was planned, as NATO chief Mark Rutte visited Kyiv, largely to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.
US president Donald Trump raised expectations for a swift summit between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents by saying they had both agreed to meet after Zelensky, Rutte and Kyiv鈥檚 European allies visited the White House on Monday.
But on Friday, Lavrov dashed hopes for direct Putin-Zelensky talks to resolve the conflict, now in its fourth year, by questioning the Ukrainian president鈥檚 legitimacy and repeating the Kremlin鈥檚 maximalist claims.
鈥楾here is no meeting planned,鈥� Lavrov said in an interview with NBC鈥檚 鈥楳eet the Press with Kristen Welker鈥�.
Lavrov told the US broadcaster Putin was 鈥榬eady to meet Zelensky鈥� as soon as an agenda was prepared, adding that the agenda was 鈥榥ot ready at all鈥�.
Speaking alongside Rutte in Kyiv, Zelensky said Ukraine had 鈥榥o agreements with the Russians鈥�, saying Ukraine had agreed only with Trump on how the diplomatic direction could proceed.
On Thursday, he had accused Russia of 鈥榯rying to wriggle out of holding a meeting鈥�, adding that Moscow wanted to continue the offensive.
The question of eventual security guarantees for Ukraine has been front and centre during the latest US-led diplomatic push to broker a peace deal to end the conflict.
Trump earlier said Russia had agreed to some Western security guarantees for Kyiv.
But Moscow later cast doubt on any such arrangement, by saying discussing them without Russia was 鈥榓 utopia, a road to nowhere鈥�.
鈥榃hen Russia raises the issue of security guarantees, I honestly do not yet know who is threatening them,鈥� said Zelensky, who wants foreign troops in Ukraine to deter Russian attacks in the future.
The Kremlin has long said it would never accept that, citing Ukraine鈥檚 NATO ambition as one of the pretexts for its assault.
鈥楾here are several principles which Washington believes must be accepted, including no NATO membership, including the discussion of territorial issues, and Zelensky said no to everything,鈥櫬燣avrov told NBC.
On a visit to Kyiv, during which an air raid alert sounded across the city, Rutte said security guarantees were needed to ensure 鈥楻ussia will uphold any deal and will never ever again attempt to take one square kilometre of Ukraine鈥�.
Moscow signed the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, which was aimed at ensuring security for Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan in exchange for them giving up numerous nuclear weapons left from the Soviet era.
Russia violated that first by taking Crimea in 2014, and then by starting a full-scale offensive in 2022, which has killed tens of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.
Meanwhile, Russia鈥檚 defence ministry on Friday said its troops have captured three villages in Ukraine鈥檚 east Donetsk region, grinding closer to Kyiv鈥檚 key defensive line in the embattled area.
Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly metre-for-metre battles for largely devastated areas聽in eastern Ukraine, with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.
Moscow has captured 鈥榯he settlements of Katerynivka, Volodymyrivka and Rusyn Yar in the Donetsk People鈥檚 Republic,鈥� the ministry said on Telegram, using the name Moscow uses for the region that it claimed to have annexed in September 2022.
This comes as Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of not being interested in a sustainable peace, reducing the likelihood of a speedy meeting between the countries鈥� leaders to settle the conflict.
Ukraine has cut gas supply to the city of Kostiantynivka, an important stronghold town around two dozen miles away from the captured settlements, after the enemy鈥檚 shelling hit a pipeline.
鈥楧ue to extensive damage, it was not possible to maintain working pressure in the gas supply system in Kostiantynivka,鈥� Donetsk regional authorities said, adding that it was impossible to repair the pipeline due to lack of safety for the workers.
Ukraine鈥檚 presidential aide Andriy Yermak posted a photo of a 10-storey residential apartment building in Kostiantynivka, engulfed in fire triggered by the shelling.