The Kremlin said it remains open to the idea of a face-to-face meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but emphasized that any such encounter would have to be "well prepared and results-oriented," according to a statement by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.
Speaking on Russian state television, Ushakov said Moscow had never dismissed the prospect of direct talks. He added that if Zelenskiy wished to meet, he could do so in Moscow, where the Kremlin said the Ukrainian leader's personal security would be guaranteed.
The offer to meet in Moscow is not new. The Kremlin has previously proposed talks on Russian soil, a suggestion Zelenskiy rejected last year when he instead proposed that President Putin travel to Kyiv.
Russian media reports have said the topic of a potential summit came up multiple times during a recent phone call between President Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the Russian news agency TASS. Interfax quoted the Kremlin as saying that Mr. Trump had urged consideration of a meeting and that Russia is "not refusing contacts."
Separately, an unnamed U.S. official told Axios that Mr. Zelenskiy and Mr. Putin were "very close" to arranging a meeting after Washington-mediated peace talks held in Abu Dhabi last week. The official attribution and the Reuters-cited characterization reflect reporting referenced in the announcements but do not constitute confirmation of a scheduled summit.
Overall, the Kremlin's statements underline conditional openness: Russia signals willingness to engage directly, while specifying preparatory and outcome-oriented prerequisites and offering security assurances should Zelenskiy travel to Moscow. The history of prior offers and refusals was also highlighted, showing that proposals for a meeting have been part of the dialogue between the two sides for some time.
Summary
- The Kremlin says it would consider a Putin-Zelenskiy meeting if it is well prepared and focused on results.
- Ushakov noted Moscow has not ruled out talks and offered to guarantee Zelenskiy's personal security in Moscow.
- The possibility was discussed during a recent call between Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump, and an unnamed U.S. official said the leaders were close to arranging a meeting after Abu Dhabi talks.