The White House considered the words of the Russian Foreign Minister as a violation of the commitments made at the summit, writes NBC News. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Putin would be ready to meet with Zelensky only when a "presidential agenda" is prepared.
According to one Western official, Lavrov's statements disappointed the White House because they indicate that Russia might back away from the commitments that Trump believes he achieved from Putin. "The Russians are just backing away day by day," the official said. "It looks and feels like they're being played, which frustrates any president, but especially President Trump."
Nevertheless, Trump administration representatives stated that they are not giving up on the prospect of reaching a peace agreement.
Speaking to reporters on Friday in the Oval Office, Trump became more cautious about the next steps to end the war than he was a week ago.
"I think in the next two weeks we will find out which way things will go," said the US president, promising to make a "very important decision." It will be either massive sanctions, massive tariffs, or both. Trump also suggested that he might not take any action at all, as "this is not our war."
The negotiations are unfolding against the backdrop of a public attempt by the White House to award Trump the Nobel Peace Prize. Meanwhile, the Norwegian parliament member who nominated Trump for the Nobel Prize during his first term, Christian Tybring-Gjedde, believes that if Trump wants the Nobel Committee to pay attention to him, he "must create peace based on Ukraine's needs." "Ukraine has been invaded. It has been subjected to violence. Now they are fighting for survival as a nation. You must understand who the aggressor is," he added.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kyslytsya stated in an interview with NBC News that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to discuss territorial issues starting from the line of contact. However, Kyslytsya said during the interview, Ukraine does not see "any signs that Putin is ready for substantive negotiations and a meeting—either bilateral or trilateral."
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the Kremlin's demands to include Russia in the plan to ensure security guarantees for post-war Ukraine. "When Russia raises the issue of security guarantees, frankly, I don't know who threatens them. They attacked us, and I don't quite understand what guarantees the aggressor needs," said the head of the Ukrainian state during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Photo: Andrew Harnik