Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s offer to meet in Moscow, saying the unrealistic choice of venue indicates Russia’s lack of genuine interest in talks.
“I cannot go to the capital of the terrorists, because Ukraine is being subjected to missile attacks and shelling every day,” Zelensky said in an interview with American media. “Putin can come to Kiev.”
US President Donald Trump has been continuously pressing for face-to-face talks between the presidents of both countries.
One of the main objectives of Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska last month was to prepare for a bilateral or trilateral meeting.
Trump then suggested that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky might be possible after the Ukrainian president visited Washington and held talks with European leaders. But Moscow reportedly put forward additional conditions, stalled the decision and escalated shelling of Ukrainian cities.
Meanwhile, Putin said this week that he was “ready” to meet with Zelensky, but that it would only be possible in Moscow.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified that Zelensky had been invited to the Russian capital “for talks, not for surrender.”
After the ‘Alliance of Resolve’ summit in Paris, Zelensky declined Putin’s invitation, saying, “If you want to avoid the meeting, it seems that you should invite him to Moscow. The fact that the Russian leadership is even talking about an alternative to a personal meeting is an achievement in itself.”
He shared information on social media, saying that in the first five days of September, Russia launched more than 1,300 drones, about 900 guided bombs, and about 50 types of missiles into Ukraine. According to him, airstrikes have been carried out in 14 regions of the country.
Trump also spoke to the US media on the same day, saying, “Something will happen, but they’re not ready yet. We’ll do it.”
But he did not set any deadline for talks that Washington would find acceptable. RSS/ANI
