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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to meet in Moscow, saying the offer appeared aimed at preventing talks rather than facilitating them.
Speaking at a news conference after the "Coalition of the Willing" meeting in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelenskyy said he learned of Putin’s invitation through U.S. mediators. He remarked that if the Russian leadership truly wished to avoid a meeting, inviting him to Moscow was the way to do so.
Despite rejecting the venue, Zelenskyy noted that the fact negotiations were being raised was not without value. He said Russia’s mention of a meeting indicated at least some willingness to talk, though he added that Kyiv saw no genuine intention from Moscow to end the war.
"Adult leaders," he said, should emerge from such high-level talks with a concrete outcome, preferably peace.
Putin, speaking a day earlier at a press conference in Beijing, said he was open to a meeting with Zelenskyy in Moscow if it were well prepared and had the potential to deliver results.
He added that U.S. President Donald Trump had asked whether such a meeting was possible, and he confirmed his willingness under those conditions.
"If Zelenskyy is ready, let him come to Moscow – then the meeting will take place," Putin said.
The two leaders have not held a face-to-face meeting since December 2019, when they discussed ending the conflict in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
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