Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is stalling a face-to-face meeting to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war in order to give Moscow more time to militarily undermine Kyiv. 

President Donald Trump helped plant the seeds for a summit involving Zelensky and Putin during his own encounter with the Russian leader in Alaska earlier this month. While Zelensky was swift to agree to such a meeting, Putin has been slower to take the cue, with Moscow arguing that further preliminary discussions are needed to ensure leaders are “well-prepared” to carry out negotiations.