Russia’s Kremlin said a possible summit between President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could occur only to finalize agreements already reached, not to negotiate them, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on August 30, 2026. The statement reflects Moscow’s position as diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war remain stalled after more than a year of negotiations.
“Such a meeting is possible only to formalize agreements,” Peskov told reporters, adding that a settlement over Ukraine is “not a primitive deal” but a “very complicated” process involving “a huge number of details.”
The Kremlin’s comments follow CIA Director John Ratcliffe‘s covert trip to Moscow on August 25, during which he proposed the trilateral summit to Russian intelligence officials. Ratcliffe met with SVR foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin and FSB director Alexander Bortnikov but did not meet Putin, who was briefed on the discussions afterward, according to reporting from Axios.
Ratcliffe’s visit was partly aimed at determining whether Russia’s intelligence heads could help convince Putin to resume U.S.-mediated negotiations with Ukraine, sources told Axios. The CIA director gave Bortnikov “a bleak assessment” of the state of the war and urged Russia to cut a deal before its situation worsens, the New York Times reported.
A Proposal Delayed Since August 2025
Trump first floated the idea of a trilateral summit in August 2025, saying preparations were underway and suggesting it could happen within two weeks, according to reports from Meduza and the Kyiv Post. That summit never materialized. Since then, peace efforts have repeatedly stalled, with formal negotiations between Russia and Ukraine paused in mid-February 2026 after the war with Iran began.
White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have held separate talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators over recent months, but little progress has been made. Ukraine’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, said U.S.-mediated talks could resume in September, according to the Kyiv Post.
Russia has repeatedly rejected or complicated proposals aimed at advancing ceasefire talks. On August 22, Putin said Moscow received new peace proposals but called them “exotic” and “unacceptable,” stating that Russia was ready for talks only “on the basis of the realities that have developed on the ground.” Moscow has rejected proposals for partial aerial ceasefires and a free economic zone in Donbas.
Ukrainian officials remain highly skeptical of Putin’s intentions. Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff, Pavlo Palisa, told reporters on August 30 that Putin has ordered his military to prepare operational scenarios for an offensive in northern Ukraine, with Kyiv and Chernihiv identified as key areas. On Friday, U.S. officials briefed Zelensky on Ratcliffe’s talks in Moscow and the summit proposal. Zelensky thanked the U.S. for “the necessary tone of the conversation with Russia,” saying the Trump administration “is advancing a realistic vision of what needs to be done and what must be achieved,” according to Axios.
The Kremlin’s insistence that any summit must finalize rather than negotiate agreements underscores the gap between the parties. While the Trump administration has sought to broker a breakthrough, Russia has shown little willingness to move from its maximalist demands, and Ukraine has signaled preparations for continued military operations.
Sources
- Kyiv Independent — Peskov’s August 30 statement that a summit is possible only to formalize agreements
- Axios — CIA Director Ratcliffe’s Moscow visit and proposal for trilateral summit; details of meetings with Russian intelligence officials
- Anadolu Agency — Kremlin’s August 31 confirmation of Peskov’s statement on summit conditions
- Meduza — Trump’s August 2025 announcement of trilateral summit plans and expectation of meeting within two weeks
- Kyiv Post — Timeline of summit proposals and Budanov’s statement on September talks resumption
- New York Times — Ratcliffe’s bleak assessment to Bortnikov and push for peace deal
