Putin's mouthpiece slaps down direct talks with Trump and Zelensky as peace hopes dwindle

The prospect of an imminent trilateral meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky has been all but dismissed by the Kremlin (Image: GETTY)

The prospect of an imminent trilateral meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky has been all but dismissed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov – just one day after the White House suggested it would be open to the idea. Mr Zelensky had initially broached the idea last week, saying he was “ready for any format”, more than three and a half years after Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Hopes were raised by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who on Monday said Mr Trump was “open to it if it comes to that, but he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together”. However, Mr Peskov poured cold water on the idea the following day, June 3, telling reporters such a meeting was “unlikely in the near future”.

The Kerch bridge was also hit in October, 2022 (Image: AP)

In a possible indication that President Putin favours direct talks with Mr Trump without the involvement of the Ukrainian President, Mr Peskov said Moscow had “channels of dialogue with Washington” and continued to use them.

He stressed that a call could easily be arranged between the US and Russian leaders.

Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Turkey on Monday delivered little, beyond agreement on a new prisoner exchange and the return of 12,000 dead soldiers.

They were overshadowed by hawkish remarks from Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, who said: “The Istanbul talks are not for striking a compromise peace on someone else’s delusional terms but for ensuring our swift victory and the complete destruction of the neo-Nazi regime.”

The Kremlin has repeatedly made baseless claims about a "neo-Nazi regime" in Ukraine to justify the Russian invasion of the neighbouring nation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Image: Getty)

Mr Medvedev said a new Russian memorandum presented at the talks demanded more territorial concessions, military restrictions, and fresh Ukrainian elections. He also issued a warning in reference to Operation Spider Web at the weekend, which saw Ukrainian drones target airbases across Russia, as he said: "Retribution is inevitable."

Separately, Ukraine’s SBU security service said it carried out an underwater strike on the Kerch Bridge in Crimea in the early hours of Tuesday – its third attack on the structure since 2022.

The SBU said: “The underwater supports of the piers were severely damaged at the bottom level – 1,100 kg of explosives in TNT equivalent contributed to this.”

SBU chief Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, who personally oversaw the operation, said: “Crimea is Ukraine, and any manifestations of occupation will receive our tough response. No illegal Russian facilities have a place on the territory of our state.”

The Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, remains recognised internationally as Ukrainian.