Moscow,August 22(HS):

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has cast doubt on U.S. President Donald Trump’s high-profile push for a peace summit, saying no meeting is planned between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In an exclusive interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Lavrov said Putin is “ready” to meet Zelenskyy only when a concrete agenda is finalized — something Russia claims Ukraine has blocked. He accused Kyiv of rejecting Trump’s proposed terms, which reportedly included a halt to NATO aspirations and talks on territorial disputes.

Zelenskyy has dismissed Moscow’s stance, arguing that Russia is deliberately evading talks while escalating strikes. Ukraine was hit Thursday by one of the largest air barrages of the war, including a missile attack on a U.S.-owned electronics plant in Lviv that injured at least 15 workers.

Putin, fresh off his Alaska meeting with Trump, praised the U.S. president and spoke of a “light at the end of the tunnel” in bilateral ties, saying he believed Trump’s leadership could restore relations. Trump, meanwhile, has publicly urged Ukraine to strike back, comparing its defensive-only posture to a sports team restricted from attacking.

Despite Moscow’s reluctance, Zelenskyy reaffirmed his readiness to meet Putin and called for stronger U.S. sanctions if Russia refuses dialogue. Meanwhile, Western defense chiefs met this week to discuss postwar security guarantees for Ukraine — a proposal both Trump and allies say could involve military support, short of American ground troops.

The war, now stretching into its fourth year since Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion, shows no sign of abating as competing narratives and missile fire continue to define the battlefield and diplomacy alike.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar