Zelensky Tells Putin Come to Kyiv For Talks ‘If He Dares’
Russian President Vladimir Putin played a game by inviting his Ukrainian counterpart to talks in Moscow, Zelensky said, issuing an equally facetious reciprocal invitation to kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has an open invitation to Moscow for negotiations, the Kremlin said, prompting Zelensky to respond that the dangerous invitation is only being made by Russia to cover up its refusal to speak to him at all. In response, Zelensky extended a reciprocal invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to kyiv.
Speaking on Friday, Zelensky said: “Of course, it is impossible for me to meet Putin in Moscow. It is the same as meeting Putin in kyiv. I can also invite him to kyiv, let him come. I invite him publicly, if he dares, of course.”
Nonetheless, Zelensky has said he does indeed want to speak with Putin in person and recently noted that the remaining key issues in the peace process can only be resolved in face-to-face talks between the leaders, because only presidents have the power to resolve them definitively.
Zelensky’s ironic invitation for Putin to come to kyiv “if he dares” follows comments by former Russian ambassador to the United States turned negotiator Yuri Ushakov on Wednesday, when he said that “if Zelensky is really ready for a meeting, we would be happy to welcome him to Moscow.” These remarks were then followed by President Putin’s personal spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, who claimed that the only place Russia would consider meeting with Zelensky was in the Kremlin and that all other suggestions “are moot.”
Meanwhile, other talks are progressing. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had managed to secure a personal promise from Putin to stop hitting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the coming days, as weather forecasters predicted temperatures could drop as low as -28°C (-18°F) overnight early next week.
Speaking Thursday evening, President Trump said, “I personally asked President Putin not to fire on kyiv and various cities for a week and he agreed to do so…I have to tell you that was very nice.” » The Ukrainians “almost didn’t believe it but they were very happy about it,” he added.
kyiv and Moscow initially remained silent on President Trump’s statement, but after the first night of the partial ceasefire, they cautiously admitted that it was apparently in effect as Friday progressed.
Ukraine, Russia and the United States met for the first time last week for trilateral negotiations in a new format, with the parties agreeing to meet again this weekend to continue discussions. That now appears in jeopardy as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US delegates Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner who were in the lead last week would not attend this time around.
The talks could be delayed, President Zelensky said, because the United States is very focused on the situation in Iran. The guardian reported this morning that Zelensky said: “It is very important for us that everyone with whom we agree is present at the meeting, because everyone is waiting for comments… But the date or location may change – because, in our opinion, something is happening in the situation between the United States and Iran. And these developments could probably affect the schedule.”
Zelensky also stressed the importance of negotiations leading to in-person talks between him and President Putin, because some war issues are so important that they cannot be accepted by anyone less important than the presidents themselves. He said: “I have repeatedly said that such complex issues would be resolved at the leadership level, and this is understandable, because it is the leaders who have the appropriate mandate.”
The most obvious area where a deal would elude delegations or negotiators without presidents in the room is the fate of Donbass, a coal-rich region that encompasses Luhansk and Donetsk provinces. It is largely occupied by Russian forces and some areas have been held by Moscow for more than a decade, since the capture of Donetsk in 2014.
All sides have different ideas on how to resolve the issue: while Ukraine basically sticks to its maximalist positions and wants to regain 100% of its territory, it has expressed a willingness to negotiate a longer-term ceasefire, with both sides sticking to the lands they already occupy. Russia, for its part, demanded that Ukraine cede the remaining parts of Donbass to become permanent Russian territory in perpetuity in exchange for a cessation of hostilities. The United States suggested that both sides withdraw from the front line, transforming the resulting gap into a “free economic zone.”
Zelensky felt on this subject that no compromise had yet been found and that Russian demands were too heavy to bear. Ukraine, he added, is ready to compromise, but not on issues on which Moscow wants it to compromise. He said: “The issue of control over a particular territory, even a free economic zone, must also be fair. Namely Ukraine’s control over the territories we control. This is basically our vision, which was outlined for the first time in Abu Dhabi in a trilateral format.”
