The Kremlin has said that a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could only happen as a final step to seal a peace deal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was unlikely that such a meeting could occur by the end of August, as Ukraine has proposed.
“A summit meeting can and should put the final point on a settlement and cement the modalities and agreements worked out by experts. It is impossible to do it the other way round,” Mr Peskov told reporters.
“Is it possible to go through such a complex process in 30 days? Well, obviously, it is unlikely.”
Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk Oblast fire D-20 artillery in the direction of Toretsk, Ukraine
Ukraine says a leaders meeting is required in order to achieve a breakthrough in the slow-moving process, which has seen the two sides hold three brief sessions of peace talks in Turkey since mid-May.
In comments to journalists, Mr Zelensky said Russia had begun to engage over the possibility of such a meeting.
“Now, in talks with us, they have begun to discuss it. This is already progress towards some kind of meeting format,” he said.
A Ukrainian delegate said after the latest round of peace talks on Wednesday, which lasted just 40 minutes, that Kyiv had proposed a Putin-Zelensky meeting in August because that would fall within the 50-day deadline that US President Donald Trump had set last week for a deal.
Mr Trump has threatened new sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports unless an agreement is reached by early September.
“It could be that we have to put secondary sanctions on Russia,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for a trip to Scotland.
Mr Peskov once again described the two sides’ negotiating positions as “diametrically opposed”.
“It is unlikely that they can be brought together overnight. This will require very complex diplomatic work,” he said.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said he may speak to his Russian and US counterparts this week to see if a leaders meeting in Istanbul is possible to discuss the war in Ukraine.
“By holding calls with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [US President Donald] Trump within this week, we will see if we can bring these leaders together in Istanbul, that is our effort,” he told reporters after Friday prayers.
Ukraine secures three Patriot missile systems
Ukraine has received confirmation from partners that they will provide three Patriot missile defence systems, while discussions are underway to obtain seven more, Mr Zelensky said.
“I have officially received confirmation from Germany for two systems, and from Norway for one. We are currently working with Dutch partners,” he told reporters.
Mr Trump announced earlier this month that billions of dollars of US weapons would go to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles.
This set off negotiations around which partners could contribute to the weapons purchasing scheme – a process that will determine the support Ukraine receives.
The Patriot systems have proven effective at destroying Russian ballistic missiles aimed at Ukraine’s cities.
In addition to securing air defence supplies, Ukraine needs to cover a financing gap of €34 billion next year, Mr Zelensky said in remarks released by his office.
An additional €21 billion will be needed for missiles, drones and electronic warfare systems production, he added.
