Vladimir Putin has refused to meet Volodymyr Zelensky unless a peace deal is on the table ready to be finalised.

The Kremlin said on Friday 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.

Negotiators between Moscow and Kyiv discussed the possibility of a direct meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.