The Kremlin ruled out a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before achieving major progress on a peace deal, raising doubt on ending the war before President Trump’s 50-day deadline.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said peace proposals drafted by both sides are “diametrically opposed." When asked if a meeting between the two leaders would take place before the end of August, Peskov said reconciliation would require “extremely complex diplomatic work” that cannot be carried out overnight, according to Russian state media.

Peskov further said that any meeting held between Putin and Zelensky should only come at the final stages of peace negotiations, and it is “unlikely” to take place within a month, according to

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