Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a new interview that no meeting is currently planned betweenRussian leader Vladimir PutinandUkraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyyas PresidentDonald Trumppushes for peace talks. "It was not discussed in Anchorage. It was raised later. It's something which is kind of impromptu, appearing from the meeting in Washington between President Trump and his guests," Lavrov told NBC's "Meet the Press," referencingTrump's meeting with Putin in Alaskaand his talks with other European leaders in DC. "Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all," Lavrov said. Trumpannounced Aug. 18 that he calledPutinto urge him to meet withZelenskyyin the latest effort to end hostilities between the two warring nations. The call capped a day filled with meetings between Trump, Zelenskyy and seven European leaders to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine. Describing the meetings as "very good," Trump wrote in aTruth Socialpost that he also wants a trilateral meeting between him, Zelenskyy and Putin. 85713963007 The president at the time said security guarantees for Ukraine by various European countries had been discussed "with a coordination with the United States of America." He did not specify what the coordination would entail. But Lavrov, Russia's top diplomat, said in the interview that aired on Aug. 24 that a group of nations including the United Nations Security Council should be the guarantors of Ukraine's security. He told NBC News that Putin and Trump had discussed the issue of a security guarantee for Ukraine and that Putin had raised the issue of the failed Istanbul discussions of 2022. At those discussions, Russia and Ukraine discussed Ukraine's permanent neutrality in return for security guarantees from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, and other countries, according to a copy of a draft agreement seen by Reuters in 2022. The group potentially guaranteeing Ukraine's security could also include Germany and Turkey and other countries, Lavrov said. "And the guarantors would be guaranteeing the security of Ukraine, which must be neutral, which must be non-aligned with any military bloc and which must be non-nuclear," Lavrov said. Lavrov also made it clear that NATO membership for Ukraine was unacceptable for Russia, that Russia wanted protection for Russian speakers in Ukraine and that there was a territorial discussion to be had with Ukraine. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Will Zelenskyy and Putin meet? Russian official says no talks planned
