The Kremlin said on Friday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump was essential to make progress on Ukraine and other issues, but needed preparation and had to yield results when it happened.

European leaders had hoped that Putin’s absence from the Istanbul negotiations he proposed would finally force Trump’s hand. Instead of aligning with Europe to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow, Trump opted to “reward his Russian colleague with a personal meeting that he has long desired.

Trump seeks a meeting with Putin to discuss the Ukraine war after skipping peace talks. Zelenskyy accuses Russia of not being serious about ending the conflict.