Vladimir Putin is determined to continue the bloodshed in Ukraine and has shown no interest in genuine peace talks, a top aide to Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed.
Mykhailo Podolyak, one of the Ukrainian president's most senior advisors, has also called on the United States to use more of its "leverage" to force the Kremlin to the negotiating table.
"They're not interested in a meeting between President Zelenskyy and Putin because Russia doesn't want the war to end," he told the ABC in an exclusive interview this week.
"They don't want a ceasefire or any real talks — not even discussions of basic scenarios like freezing the conflict. Russia doesn't want any of that.
"As far as I understand, Putin personally promised Donald Trump in Anchorage to meet but Russia has yet to send a serious, functional, influential delegation. So yes, it's possible, but only if Russia is pressured."
US President Donald Trump met his Russian counterpart in Alaska on August 15.
The so-called peace summit is yet to yield any major developments towards stopping the fighting in Ukraine, which has raged since Mr Putin's full-scale invasion was launched in February 2022.
Mr Trump styled the meeting as a major diplomatic breakthrough and flagged the possibility of direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders in the near future.
However, the Kremlin's veteran foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has since downplayed the likelihood of that.
In an interview on US network NBC this week, Mr Lavrov said an "agenda" would need to be finalised and that Mr Putin would only meet with his Ukrainian counterpart if it was agreed Mr Zelenskyy accepted he was the head of a "regime" and not the leader of a sovereign state.
Mr Podolyak said the request by the Kremlin was a tactic to delay any potential meeting between the pair.
"It's just an excuse not to engage in real negotiations," he said.
"Let me be very clear. Russia doesn't get to decide the legal status of other countries' leaders.
"The Russian Federation has no say in Ukraine's internal political matters. The real issue here is Putin's fear of real negotiations. He's not interested in peace.
"He wants to keep the war going, to stage fake negotiations with puppet delegates."
The calibre of diplomats Russia has sent to talks with Ukraine has raised suspicion about how willing it is to end the war.
For example, the Kremlin selected former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky to lead its delegation at an Istanbul summit in May. Mr Medinsky has previously denied Ukraine's existence and is credited as a key figure behind shaping anti-Kyiv messaging in Russia.
Mr Podolyak, who has been part of previous Ukrainian delegations that have met with Kremlin representatives, told the ABC that Ukraine would not entertain any discussion around the handing over of territory, even if Russia promised it would end its ground offensive and persistent air attacks.
Mr Trump has on multiple occasions suggested "land swaps" would be one way for Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace agreement.
It has since been reported that Mr Putin has suggested Ukraine give Russia control of the entire Donbas region, in exchange for freezing the front lines in their current positions.
Moscow's troops currently occupy about 88 per cent of the Donbas — a region of Ukraine bordering Russia which is rich in minerals.
"Russia invaded our land," Mr Podolyak said.
"What 'exchange' are we talking about? Trading parts they didn't manage to capture after three-and-a-half years of war for other parts they also didn't capture?"
Many defence analysts believe Moscow has realised attempts to claim the Donbas region by force could take years, and cost the country billions of dollars as well as a massive number of casualties.
The Ukrainian government, including Mr Podolyak, is also convinced that Russia will use the Donbas as a geographic springboard to launch attacks deeper into Ukraine.
"Russia is the aggressor here," he said.
"They want to lock in territorial gains. So let's talk about 'compromise'. What would that mean? That after three-and-a-half years of fierce resistance, we're supposed to just hand over Ukrainian territory to the aggressor? Rewarding Russia only encourages more aggression.
"Why would Russia stop? Why wouldn't they see this as profit? If someone breaks into your home and instead of punishment, you give them part of what they wanted -- what makes you think they won't come back for more?"
