Kremlin: Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy meeting possible only to formalize an agreement

The Kremlin says a meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy would make sense only as the final step in a deal, not as a way to negotiate one.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments after Axios reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had allegedly suggested a trilateral meeting during a recent visit to Moscow. Peskov said any agreements would involve too many details to be treated as a simple transaction.

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These agreements are by no means a simple transaction. It is a very complex settlement process involving many details.

"These agreements are by no means a simple transaction. It is a very complex settlement process involving many details," Peskov said. He added that the presidents would not need to meet merely to put such arrangements into effect.

Peskov also criticized what he described as the Ukrainian side's reluctance to pursue a concrete resolution to the conflict. Separately, The Wall Street Journal and CBS reported that Ratcliffe had traveled to Russia to meet Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, with the aim of warning Moscow against any attack on NATO countries.

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Of course, it is completely unnecessary for the presidents to meet in order to put all this into effect.