Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow or Belarus is fundamentally impossible. At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations that could actually lead to the end of the war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this during a conversation with journalists on January 30.
According to Zelenskyy, he does not consider the possibility of a personal meeting with Putin in Moscow or Belarus, but publicly invited the Russian president to come to Kyiv.
“Of course, it is impossible for me to meet with Putin in Moscow. It’s the same as meeting with Putin in Kyiv. I can also invite him to Kyiv — let him come. I publicly invite him, if he dares, of course,” Zelenskyy said.
The president stressed that Ukraine is interested only in constructive negotiations that have practical meaning and can really bring the war to an end, rather than in imitation dialogue. According to him, proposals for meetings in Moscow are a way to avoid a direct refusal to negotiate.
“If someone does not want to meet but cannot afford to say so directly, then such invitations appear. It is clear what is happening,” the head of state explained.
Zelenskyy also stressed that Ukraine is ready to consider any format for a meeting between leaders if it is effective. He noted that the participation of European partners in such negotiations would be desirable, but he is not sure that all parties will agree to this format at the level of heads of state.
“I have always said that I am ready for any format that will end the war and that will work. But in Moscow and Belarus, this is simply impossible, and it is absolutely clear why—because these are states, one of which is an aggressor that started and is waging war against us, killing us, and the other country is its partner in these actions,” the president concluded.