The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenskirejected the proposal of his Russian counterpart on Friday (05.09.2025) Vladimir Putinto come to Moscow to negotiate a diplomatic settlement, referring to the proposal for the first time in an interview with ABC News.
“It can come to Kiev,” said Volodimir Zelenski. “I can’t go to Moscow when my country accepts rockets, it is attacked, every day. I can’t go to the capital of this terrorist. ” Vladimir Putin “understands that,” he said.
Indeed, the Ukrainian president has repeatedly stated that Putin is not pursuing a meeting with him as he continues to wage the war in Ukraine.
Putin, for his part, said on Wednesday that “he was never opposed to a meeting with Zelenski.” “If Zelenski is ready, then let’s come to Moscow,” the Russian president said. “This meeting will take place,” he added.
On the other hand of the Atlantic, President Donald Trump has prioritized the meeting between the two leaders in his efforts to mediate a peace deal.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Martha Raddatz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declined Vladimir Putin’s suggestion he come to Moscow to negotiate an end to the war: “He can come to Kyiv” pic.twitter.com/4xsLldRRh5
— The New Region (@thenewregion) September 6, 2025
“Eventually, I’ll put them both in a room,” the US president told Fox News last August.
Trump set a target of his summit in Alaska last month with Putin a trilateral meeting between US, Russia and Ukraine leaders and later said a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenski will take place after the arrival of Ukraine.
“There would also be a tripartite pregnancy,” the president said last week in an interview with The Daily Caller. “I don’t know about bisexual,” he said.
In Friday’s interview, Zelenski said that Putin’s offer was aimed at “postponing the meeting”, insisting that he, Zelenski, was “ready for the meeting” in “any form”.
Putin “plays games with the United States,” Zelenski told Randaj.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sibicha on X this week has pointed to seven countries – Austria, Holy See, Switzerland, Turkey and three Gulf states – which, he said, were ready to host peace talks.
“If one does not want to meet during the war, of course, he may propose something that cannot be accepted by me or others,” Zelenski said.