Two weeks are ticking down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reminded that US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a trilateral meeting is ending this Monday, on 1 September. 

US, Ukraine, and Russia: Will the meeting happen?

During his Washington visit on 19 August, Trump said his administration was ready to organize talks between Zelenskyy and Putin to reach an agreement on ending the war.

“At that time, the president said, ‘We will be ready in a couple of weeks.’ That means two to three weeks from our conversation. I want to remind that two weeks are up on Monday,” Zelenskyy emphasized.

Meanwhile, Putin refuses to engage in negotiations. According to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in this case Russia’s war against Ukraine could continue for “many months.”

Merz: Ukraine war could last “many months” as Putin blocks two-week summit plan

Kyiv under attack: no sign of peace

There is no evidence that Moscow seeks peace. Despite talks of negotiations, Russia continues massive attacks on Ukraine. In the latest strike on Kyiv, all types of weapons were used: Shahed drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. A total of 629 targets targeted the Ukrainian capital. The strike lasted nine hours and killed 25 people, including four children. 

Moscow’s conditions: ultimatum, not peace

Despite the warm Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, Russia’s demands regarding Ukraine have not changed. Today, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova outlined what Russia calls “peace conditions”:

• Demilitarization of Ukraine,
• Denazification,
• Neutral, non-aligned, and nuclear-free status,
• Recognition of occupied territories,
• Guarantees of rights of the Russian language and the Russian-speaking population, 
• End to persecution of canonical Orthodoxy.

Moscow supposedly offers “security guarantees” only after these conditions are met. In reality, these demands are mutually exclusive and would mean the elimination of an independent Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that Western security guarantee proposals would turn Ukraine into a “strategic provocateur” on Russia’s borders, signaling Moscow’s rejection of multilateral efforts to protect Kyiv from future aggression, according to Reuters.

Russia’s response comes as Ukraine prepares to formalize its security guarantee framework next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday following discussions with European partners. Ukrainian officials consider robust security guarantees essential to prevent Moscow from exploiting any future ceasefire to regroup militarily before launching new offensives. 

Zakharova outlined Moscow’s position that “security guarantees must be based on reaching a common understanding that takes into account Russia’s security interests,” she told reporters Friday during a news briefing in Moscow. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman dismissed current Western proposals as “one-sided and clearly designed to contain Russia.” 

She warned that such arrangements would assign “Kyiv the role of a strategic provocateur on Russia’s borders, increasing the risk of the [NATO] alliance becoming involved in an armed conflict with our country.”

Zakharova’s statement that security guarantees “must take into account Russia’s security interests” effectively demands Moscow have veto power over Ukrainian defense arrangements – precisely what Ukraine and its allies have rejected in previous negotiations.

Moscow’s “security concerns”

Zakharova’s language about “strategic provocateurs” echoes familiar Russian talking points used to justify the 2022 invasion. Moscow has consistently opposed any security arrangements that would constrain its ability to attack Ukraine again.

The rejection seems to contradict recent signals from Russia’s chief negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, who indicated in April that “some security guarantees in some form may be acceptable.” Friday’s statement suggests Moscow’s position has hardened as Western proposals gained substance.

Ukraine’s comprehensive security framework taking shape

Ukraine’s European allies have been working to develop security guarantees that would be more robust than the failed 1994 Budapest Memorandum. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte promised last week there would be “no repeat of the Budapest Memorandum,” outlining dual-layer protections including military strengthening and deterrence guarantees.

Separately, Ukraine has been discussing a proposed $90 billion US weapons package that could fund 4.5 years of military support, while military chiefs from over 30 countries have been meeting in Paris to coordinate potential peacekeeping arrangements.

Ukraine plans to complete its security guarantee framework by early next week. Moscow’s rejection suggests the Kremlin will continue opposing Western efforts to establish credible deterrence mechanisms.