Russian President Vladimir Putin said he sees little point in direct negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while arguing that the best venue for such talks would be Moscow, according to Russian state media.
“I have repeatedly said that I am ready for these contacts [with Zelensky] … I don’t see much sense,” Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum.
In Putin’s view, the best location for a possible meeting with Zelensky is Moscow. He called proposals to hold talks at venues suggested by the Ukrainian side “excessive.”
“Next time, if someone truly wants to meet with us, we are ready. The best place for this is the capital of the Russian Federation, the Hero City of Moscow,” the Kremlin leader said.
Putin also claimed that Russia would guarantee the safety of Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation if they decided to travel to Moscow. Ukrainian intelligence has previously said that Russian operatives have attempted to assassinate Zelensky multiple times.
On August 19, after a White House meeting with the Ukrainian president and European leaders, former US President Donald Trump called Putin and said he received agreement for a meeting with Zelensky. He also said he had begun preparing a personal meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
After the White House meeting, Zelensky said he was ready for bilateral talks with Putin and then hoped to hold a trilateral summit with US participation.
CNN has previously reported that the Russian leader is not prepared to meet with Zelensky now or in the future, arguing that such a meeting would amount to Moscow recognizing the Ukrainian president’s legitimacy.
