Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has firmly dismissed speculation of an imminent meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, despite claims from U.S. President Donald Trump earlier in the week that he was working to bring both leaders together at a peace summit.

Lavrov, speaking in a taped interview for NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker,” emphasised that “there is no meeting planned” between the two presidents.

The statement directly contradicts Trump’s social media post in which he asserted that preliminary arrangements had been made for a potential summit, followed by a trilateral meeting that he himself would attend.

The divergence in messaging has fuelled doubts about Moscow’s sincerity in engaging with the U.S.-led diplomatic effort aimed at halting the war, which has now stretched into its third year.

While Lavrov has previously suggested that Putin would be open to talks, he has conditioned any direct meeting with Zelenskyy on preliminary negotiations by senior officials to resolve key disputes.

However, bridging these differences remains a formidable task. Ukraine insists on binding Western security guarantees designed to ward off any future Russian aggression, while Moscow has dismissed any plan formulated without its direct input as “pointless.”

This clash underscores the fundamental obstacles to even basic dialogue. Further complicating matters is Russia’s continued escalation on the battlefield, highlighted by a massive drone and missile barrage on Thursday that struck an American-owned electronics plant in Ukraine.

The strike came even as Trump publicly criticized Putin for continuing military attacks while professing interest in peace talks, exposing the widening gap between rhetoric and reality.

European leaders have also grown increasingly wary of potential concessions to Moscow. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned in an interview with the BBC that discussions hinting at Ukraine ceding land in exchange for peace amounted to falling into “a trap” laid by Putin. According to Kallas, Russia has made no concessions of its own while demanding significant territorial gains that would reward its aggression.

She bluntly accused Moscow of deliberately stalling, saying that “Russia is just dragging feet” while intensifying military operations. Kallas also criticised the narrative that Ukraine should bear the brunt of compromise, stressing that the aggressor should not be rewarded when it continues to kill civilians and destroy infrastructure.

Echoing Trump’s stance that the violence must cease, Kallas argued that Putin has shown little intention of stopping the war, instead escalating attacks under the cover of diplomatic manoeuvring.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has launched its own countermeasures targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure, striking at vital economic arteries supporting the war effort.

On Friday, Ukrainian forces deployed HIMARS rockets and unmanned aerial systems in a combined attack on the Unecha oil pumping station in Russia’s Bryansk region, a key component of the Druzhba oil pipeline system. Stretching from Russia through Belarus and Ukraine into Slovakia and Hungary, the Druzhba pipeline is central to European energy flows, particularly for countries still reliant on Russian crude.

Hungary, which continues to import more than half of its oil via Druzhba, expressed alarm at the strike. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto condemned the attack, noting it was the third such incident in recent weeks and framing it as “another attack on the energy security of our country” and “another attempt to drag us into war.”

Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has pursued a contrarian stance within the EU, maintaining dialogue with Moscow while criticizing Kyiv and distancing itself from broader European policies of military and financial aid to Ukraine. This position has strained Hungary’s relations with other EU members, especially given Orban’s rare visit to Moscow last year where he met directly with Putin.

The attack on Druzhba underscores the geopolitical complexities surrounding energy security and conflict escalation. Only two EU nations—Hungary and Slovakia—remain dependent on Russian oil, while the rest of the bloc moved to cut off purchases following the 2022 invasion.

Ukraine’s deliberate targeting of energy infrastructure has raised new questions about how far it is willing to go in applying economic pressure on Russia, potentially risking friction with EU partners. At the same time, Moscow’s continued military offensives highlight its unwillingness to halt operations even while peace initiatives are floated by Washington.

In sum, the prospects for meaningful negotiations between Russia and Ukraine remain bleak, tangled in layers of military escalation, clashing preconditions, and diverging international positions.

Trump’s attempts to personally mediate have so far been overshadowed by Moscow’s unwillingness to commit to talks, Europe’s resistance to rewarding Russian aggression, and Ukraine’s determination to hit at the infrastructure sustaining Russia’s war machine.

Far from easing tensions, the latest developments point to entrenched positions, ongoing violence, and a prolonged struggle with profound implications for European security, energy stability, and transatlantic diplomacy.

Based On AP Report