Analysts noted that U.S. and Russian officials continue to discuss the possibility of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in the near future.
“But the exact details remain unclear,” ISW added.
Experts drew attention to statements by Putin himself and his foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov. Putin named the United Arab Emirates as one possible venue for his meeting with Trump. He also claimed he was “in general” not opposed to meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“But certain conditions must be created for this. Unfortunately, we are still far from that,” the dictator said.
Ushakov said that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, during his visit to Moscow on Aug. 6, proposed holding a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, Moscow left this without comment, suggesting instead to focus on preparing a bilateral summit. Ushakov also claimed that the location for the Trump–Putin meeting had been agreed upon and will be announced later.
ISW noted that the Kremlin has been trying to set the pace and terms of negotiations for a temporary ceasefire and a long-term peace in Ukraine since the United States began efforts to mediate an end to the war.
“Putin’s attempts to present himself as a country willing to accept U.S. peace proposals and engage in constructive talks, while refusing to meet with Zelenskyy in the near future, are attempts to conceal the reality,” the report wrote.
And that reality, according to ISW, is that Putin still has no interest in ending the war against Ukraine and is seeking bilateral concessions from the U.S. without engaging in a genuine peace process.
ISW analysts concluded that the Russian dictator likely used his Aug. 6 meeting with Witkoff to propose a moratorium on long-range strikes, which could allow Russia to stockpile drones and missiles and resume massive attacks on Ukraine once the moratorium ends.
A moratorium on strikes will also limit the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ ability to continue their long-range strike campaign aimed at depleting Russia’s defense-industrial base and military economy, ISW stressed.
On Aug. 6, U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff met with dictator Putin in Moscow. Donald Trump later said that Witkoff had made “significant progress” in talks with Putin.
The New York Times reported that, in a conversation with European leaders on Aug. 6, the U.S. president said he was ready to meet with Putin as early as next week. After that, he plans to hold a trilateral summit with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Later, Trump said there was a high probability of his personal meeting with the Russian dictator “very soon.” He also expressed hope that trilateral talks with Ukraine’s president could take place in the near future.