Kyiv ,August 23(HS): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of trying to derail efforts to arrange direct peace talks with Vladimir Putin, warning that Moscow is doing “everything it can” to prolong the war.

His comments came as US President Donald Trump attempted to broker a Putin–Zelensky summit after meeting the Russian leader in Alaska and Zelensky with European leaders in Washington. Trump admitted the Ukraine war was the hardest conflict he has tried to stop, but expressed hope he could “break the deadlock.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the prospect of an imminent meeting, saying a summit agenda was “not ready at all” and accusing Zelensky of rejecting key issues including Nato membership and territorial questions. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned proposed land concessions were a “trap” designed by Moscow, stressing that Russia had not made “a single concession” since its full-scale invasion.

Meanwhile, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance and the US were working with Kyiv on “robust” security guarantees, echoing Nato’s collective defense principle, to deter any future Russian aggression. Zelensky insisted Washington’s support was vital to secure Europe’s commitment.

Diplomacy unfolded against a backdrop of escalating violence. Russia unleashed its heaviest barrage in weeks on Thursday, firing 574 drones and 40 missiles, while Ukraine struck a Russian oil facility on the Druzhba pipeline, disrupting supplies to Hungary and Slovakia.

Moscow, however, downplayed tensions, with Putin declaring after talks with Trump that there was “light at the end of the tunnel” for US–Russia relations—even as the war showed little sign of abating.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar