Putin 'ready to meet Zelenskyy' as pressure mounts on Russian leader to agree Ukraine ceasefire
Vladimir Putin is ready for face-to-face talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Kremlin has said.
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The Russian leader has been under mounting pressure to meet with Mr Zelenskyy in recent days, after European leaders gathered at the White House to find a path to peace.
At the summit, which included Donald Trump, Mr Zelenskyy and Sir Keir Starmer, plans were drawn up for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
Now, the Kremlin has confirmed Mr Putin is ready to sit down with Mr Zelenskyy.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said: "Our president has repeatedly said that he is ready to meet, including with Mr Zelenskyy."
However, he added the meeting could only happen "with the understanding that all issues that require consideration at the highest level will be well worked out."
In the days since Mr Trump’s White House summit, the suggestion has been a bilateral meeting between Russia and Ukraine, rather than the proposed trilateral summit.
Zelenskyy has long said he is willing to sit down with Russian officials, but only if a path for peace is visible.
Lavorv added: "If - hopefully, when - it comes to signing future agreements, the issue of the legitimacy of the person who signs these agreements from the Ukrainian side will be resolved."
This refers to Russia’s claim that Mr Zelenskyy is an illegitimate leader, despite being democratically elected.
Mr Trump also suggested the United States would provide Ukraine with security guarantees to ensure peace, but the President ruled out placing US troops on the ground.
Europe’s attempts to sway Mr Trump away from Mr Putin have been branded "clumsy manipulation" by the Kremlin.
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov slammed European attempts to ensure a ceasefire is agreed.
Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Lavrov added that, despite European pressure, Mr Trump has an "increasingly clear understanding of the root causes" of the war in Ukraine.
Mr Trump said in a phone call to Fox News on Tuesday that the United States could be willing to help Ukraine "by air" but ruled out putting American soldiers on the ground.
He added that Ukraine was "not going to be a part of Nato" but European troops would deter any future Russian invasion.
Mr Trump said: "(Ukraine) are not going to be a part of Nato but we’ve got the European nations, so they’ll front-load it and they’ll have – some of them, France and Germany, a couple of them, the UK – they are going to have boots on the ground.
"I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, to be honest. I think Putin is tired of it, I think they are all tired of it, but you never know.
"We are going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks, that I can tell you."