Why Putin will not meet with Zelenskyy: Explanation from a U.S. diplomat
A former NATO Deputy Secretary General explained why Russia refuses direct talks with President Zelenskyy.
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Russia does not want to show Zelenskyy’s «legitimacy»: US diplomat on meeting with Putin / © TSN.ua
Most likely, there will be no bilateral meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and dictator Putin, at least not in the near future.
This opinion was expressed by American diplomat Alexander Vershbow, Deputy Secretary General of NATO from 2012 to 2016, in an interview with Apostrof.
«To be honest, I don’t think there will be any meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. Trump, in this sense, made a promise, but Russia is trying to back away. For now, it cannot be said that there is no chance at all, but such a meeting is unlikely anytime soon, ” the diplomat reflected.
He suggested that Russia will continue to insist: no meeting with Zelenskyy without Ukraine complying with Russian ultimatums. Instead, Vershbow considers a trilateral format — Trump-Zelenskyy-Putin — more likely.
«If this happens, I think a trilateral meeting is more probable than a bilateral one. For the reasons I’ve already mentioned, Russia does not want to reinforce Zelenskyy’s legitimacy. They would prefer Trump to be present and to ignore the legitimate president of Ukraine. They don’t want to take him (Zelenskyy — Ed.) seriously, ” the American diplomat noted.
Vershbow also does not not rule out the possibility that no meetings may take place at all.