Zelensky vuole un incontro. Putin vuole vincere | Il presidente dell’Ucraina sta di nuovo spingendo per i colloqui diretti con Putin, ma gli esperti avvertono la prontezza di Mosca può mascherare uno sforzo per acquistare tempo

From the article: Ukraine has long pursued a negotiated end to Russia’s war well in its 12th year. But talks have repeatedly collapsed under the Kremlin’s ultimatums and maximalist demands.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has been actively seeking a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin without preconditions, saying that such a move would have a chance to bring the ongoing all-out war to an end.

By pursuing talks with Putin, experts say Zelensky may be trying to show that the Kremlin has no real interest in serious negotiations — something that would become clear through Putin’s statements and demands.

Gustav Gressel, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations Berlin office, questions whether the Russian president actually would agree to the meeting, adding that it remains unclear what exactly Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump during their phone call on Aug. 18 and “whether or not there were preconditions.”

“He talks to keep Trump and the Europeans busy,” Gressel told the Kyiv Independent. “As long as Europeans are preoccupied with getting a ceasefire, they will not ramp up their defense industry to fully supply Ukraine. As long as Ukraine only gets a minimum supply, Russia wins.”

Political analyst Ihor Reiterovych said that “for Zelensky, it’s an opportunity to publicly pressure Putin into making statements that could later be used against him and serve Ukraine’s interests.”

Experts who spoke with the Kyiv Independent say that even if a meeting between Putin and Zelensky would take place, no one expects meaningful progress to be achieved.

The two sides are too far apart for serious peace talks to actually take place.

Since Zelensky became president, his direct communications with Putin have been limited — just two calls and one face-to-face meeting, all in 2019.

Zelensky and Putin met for the first and only time in Paris, during a Normandy Format summit with the leaders of Germany and France at the table. Behind closed doors, the two then discussed issues that remain relevant today — an all-for-all prisoner exchange and a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, ravaged by war since 2014.