On September 4, Kiev denied the possibility of holding a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow. The statement came after Putin suggested that Zelensky could go to the Russian capital to negotiate peace terms.
In his speech in Beijing, Mr. Putin said that a conference could be held if it was carefully prepared and capable of bringing positive results. He stressed that if Mr Zelensky was ready, he could go to Moscow.
However, the Russian leader has questioned Zelensky's legality, saying his 5-year presidency has expired without a new election due to martial law.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga wrote on X that at least seven countries, including Hungary, Switzerland and Turkey, are ready to host a meeting between Putin and Zelensky. He affirmed that these are serious proposals and that Mr. Zelensky is ready to attend at any time.
According to Mr. Sibiga, Russia continues to offer "un Acceptable" conditions, thereby complicating the negotiation process. He called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia.
Russia has repeatedly affirmed that it wants to achieve long-term peace, but has required Ukraine to recognize new borders as well as abandon plans to join NATO. These are conditions that Kiev has strongly rejected.
