Putin says he's ready to meet Zelensky if West 'stops pushing' Ukraine to fight

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible,” preferably through peaceful means, and is ready to continue negotiations — provided that Kyiv and its Western allies are willing to engage, President Vladimir Putin said.

Speaking during a roundtable with top editors of major international news agencies late on June 18, Putin added that he is ready to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and “Russia does not care who represents Ukraine in negotiations, but insists that any final agreement must bear the signature of legitimate authorities.”

The Kremlin has long sought to portray Zelensky as “illegitimate” in an attempt to discredit Kyiv. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Feb. 18 that Putin, who has ruled Russia for over 20 years, is ready for talks with Zelensky, but “legal aspects related to his legitimacy” must be considered.

Ukraine’s allies had generally ignored this propaganda narrative until U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to echo the Kremlin’s lines claiming that Zelensky was a “modestly successful comedian” turned “dictator” who “refused to have elections."

Ukraine has not held elections during Russia’s full-scale invasion because they are legally prohibited under martial law, which was declared on Feb. 24, 2022, just hours after the war began. Ukrainian law also mandates that elections must be safe, equal, and uninterrupted—conditions that are impossible to meet amid ongoing Russian attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.

Elections in Ukraine — a guide for beginners (and US Presidents)

U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19 launched an astonishing attack on President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a “dictator” with a “very low” approval rating that refuses to hold elections in Ukraine. The comments came a day after similar remarks made at the White House, in which Trump falsely

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

Asked if he would be willing to speak with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Putin said that “if the Federal Chancellor wants to call and talk, I have already said this many times — we do not refuse any contacts."

“And we are always open to this… They stopped, let them resume. We are open to them,” Putin said, adding that he, however, questions Germany’s role as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war: “I do doubt if Germany can contribute more than the United States as a mediator in our negotiations with Ukraine. A mediator must be neutral. And when we see German tanks and Leopard battle tanks on the battlefield… and now the Federal Republic is considering supplying Taurus missiles for attacks on Russian territory… — here, of course, big questions arise.”