Russian officials are attempting to delay high-level negotiations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a new assessment by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The Kremlin said on Friday that a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 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,