A direct meeting between Vladimir Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin would only be possible if Kiev fully accepts Moscow’s terms, according to Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Verkhovna Rada committee on national security, defense and intelligence.

In an interview with the agency UNIAN, Kostenko dismissed talk of preparations for a top-level summit as groundless. In his view, the positions of the two sides remain fundamentally irreconcilable.

He argued that there is no clear reason for Putin to agree to such a meeting unless Ukraine concedes entirely to Russia’s demands, suggesting that under that scenario the leaders would gather merely to formalize an agreement with their signatures.

At the same time, the lawmaker stressed that as long as Kiev does not officially acknowledge territorial losses, such a development remains unlikely and detached from reality.

Kostenko also voiced the opinion that the administration of U. S. President Donald Trump is projecting an image of diplomatic momentum driven by domestic political considerations.

Earlier, Zelensky stated that Kiev does not intend to withdraw troops from Donbass, describing the region as the backbone of Ukraine’s defensive line. In an interview with the Financial Times, he characterized the current phase of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia as the «beginning of the end.» However, he cautioned that halting hostilities without firm security guarantees would carry serious risks.