Kremlin: Putin-Trump-Zelenskyy summit only to finalize Ukraine agreements

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian broadcaster VGTRK on Monday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be "absolutely useless" if intended merely to discuss settlement details rather than seal completed agreements. "Agreements are not a primitive deal. It is a complex settlement process consisting of a huge number of details," Peskov said, adding that such a summit should serve only to finalize accords already hammered out by negotiators.

CIA proposal and Kyiv's stance

The comments came in response to media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had proposed a trilateral meeting during his visit to Moscow last week. Peskov confirmed that the possibility had been under discussion for some time, though he accused Kyiv of being unwilling to engage in "real settlement" efforts, according to Axios. The Kremlin has previously emphasized that any trilateral summit would require substantial preparatory work and should follow concrete progress in lower-level negotiations.

Putin-Pashinyan talks set for Bishkek

Separately, Peskov announced that Putin would meet Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Bishkek on August 31-September 1 to discuss Armenia's planned referendum on its relationship with the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. Putin intends to reiterate Moscow's arguments regarding Yerevan's foreign policy alignment during the bilateral talks in the Kyrgyz capital.