The Kremlin is delaying an imminent meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

London / WashingtonShortly before the virtual meeting of the coalition of the willing led by the United Kingdom, France and Germany, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed in a video message on the social network X that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will hold a bilateral meeting, on a date yet to be determined. However, a meeting about which the Kremlin is much more cautious and reluctant to confirm.

In fact, Putin's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has limited himself to emphasizing this Tuesday from Moscow that "any contact involving the heads of state must be carefully prepared." When he spoke on the state channel Rossiya-24, Lavrov assured that Russia is open to meetings in both bilateral and trilateral formats. "The key point is that these formats should not be held only for media coverage or the evening news," Lavrov said.

Some analysts familiar with Russian diplomacy, cited by the BBC, are betting that the meeting, if it does take place, could be held in September, but with a prior meeting between Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Lavrov stressed that these types of meetings "must start at the expert level and then go through all the necessary stages to prepare for the summits." "This is the kind of serious approach that we will always support," he added, in further evidence of how Moscow wants to play with time.

Vague security guarantees

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has backtracked on the willingness he expressed at the White House meeting on Monday to send US troops as a security guarantee. The US president explained in a telephone interview on Fox that he is committed to not sending US troops to Ukraine. One of his major campaign promises was to withdraw the US from international conflicts.

"What kind of guarantee do you have, going forward, after this administration, that there won't be American boots defending the [Ukrainian] border?" the Fox journalist asked. "You have my guarantee, I'm the president," Trump responded. Specific security guarantees for Ukraine were a major topic of discussion between European leaders and Trump yesterday. Trump's constant shifts in how these guarantees should be delivered are a departure from the need for specificity that Europeans so desperately called for during Monday's multilateral talks. Europe wants to make sure that something is in the works for a peace deal and that Russia will not attack Ukraine again.

Trump insisted that Europe should be the first line of defense when it comes to Ukraine's security commitment, but that the United States will also assist. "We're willing to help them with different things, especially if you could talk about air aid, because nobody has the kind of material that we have," the Republican explained. In last night's Truth Social post, the president wasn't suggesting air support, but rather that Washington would assume coordination duties. He's also already made it clear that Ukraine's NATO membership as a primary security option is completely off the table.

For now, the only thing that's clear is what business Washington will make of this whole affair.Financial TimesHe explained after the summit that Kiev will purchase, with European financing, a package of weapons from the US worth 100 billion dollars. He also said that the United States would buy drones from Ukraine worth 50 billion dollars.

Finally, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who also attended the talks in Washington with Trump, Zelensky and several European leaders, explained to Fox News that the group will work on the details of security guarantees for Ukraine "over the next few days." Moscow's acceptance of them and a Western military presence in Ukraine is, at the moment, one of the biggest obstacles to achieving peace.

Regarding yesterday's call with Putin, Trump gave a positive assessment of the conversation and is confident that the Russian leader's behavior "will be positive." Otherwise, it will be a "complicated situation." Trump also said he expects Zelensky to "do what he has to do," and stressed that he must be "flexible" in the negotiations. In any case, it is the two leaders who "must make the decisions," he emphasized.

Although uncertainty about the possible summit remains, the premier Starmer has taken it for granted, and in his message after the Washington summit has commented: "There will now be a bilateral meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky, followed by a trilateral meeting with President Trump." For his part, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz indicated that it could take place in two weeks.

Even the most skeptical French President, Emmanuel Macron, assured in statements to TF1, that the bilateral meeting is "more than a hypothesis", and suggested Geneva as the venue. Switzerland, in turn, has announced that it would grant the Russian leader immunity from the international arrest warrant that weighs on him.

In any case, the possibility – still remote according to some analysts – of the meeting between Zelensky and Putin is "very important - in the words of Starmer - because it represents a real recognition of the principle that no decision on Ukraine should be taken without Ukraine", added the premier, who praised the initiative and Monday's summit at the White House as an "important step forward."

Ukraine's allies had repeatedly expressed concern that Kiev could be left out in US attempts to broker a peace deal with Russia after Zelensky was not invited to the Alaska summit.

The Ukrainian leader has reiterated on several occasions—including this Monday from the US capital—that he is willing and prepared to meet with his Russian counterpart.

Meanwhile, the virtual meeting of leaders of the Coalition of the Willing, with the presence of Australia and Japan, concluded shortly after 2:00 p.m. And for now, as usual, what has emerged are the usual words of support for Kiev.