Putin, Zelensky meeting needed once sides closer on key issues: Russian FM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky should happen once the two sides are closer to agreeing on key issues.

Speaking to Serbian media outlets, Lavrov added that any meeting between Putin and Zelensky to exchange views on the conflict right now would be counter-productive.

Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24 in what it called a special operation to degrade its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists.

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