Zelenskyy has declined to meet with Putin in Moscow: Ukraine "doesn’t play those games"
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has rejected the Kremlin’s proposal to hold a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Moscow. At the same time, he has identified other countries that could be considered as potential venues for negotiations.
This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his online participation in the Reuters Next conference, according to Censor.NET, citing RBC-Ukraine.
The head of state rejected Russia’s proposals to meet in Moscow, stating that Ukraine "does not play these games". At the same time, he said that a meeting could take place in a neutral country.
Where could the meeting take place?
According to Zelenskyy, this could be Switzerland, Turkey, or a country in the Middle East, though he added that "Putin does not want the war to end".
When asked about a possible date for the resumption of talks with Russia, mediated by the US, Zelenskyy stressed that organising such discussions is "very difficult". He noted that he had wanted to use the opportunity of the G7 summit to meet with the dictator, but "Russia does not share this view".
"I'm not sure they've received any positive signals from the United States," said the Ukrainian president.
Russia has ignored the proposal for a meeting in Switzerland
Zelenskyy explained how he had suggested to French President Emmanuel Macron that they try to organise a meeting with the Russians in Switzerland. He also noted that the Russians had not responded to this proposal.
"Putin did not take advantage of this opportunity to meet during the G7 summit. And I think we spoke with President Trump. I think so, I know that he once again made numerous proposals through various leaders – I mean Putin – to come to Moscow," said the head of state.
- It should be recalled that the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that he had read the open letter from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but "sees no point" in them meeting.
What happened beforehand?
- On 4 June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, in which he proposed a meeting.
- In his letter, Zelenskyy proposed to Putin that they end the war "between us and you" and set a specific date for a meeting. Among the countries that could host such a meeting, the head of state mentioned Switzerland, Turkey and countries in the Arab world.
- While negotiations are ongoing, Ukraine is prepared to implement a full ceasefire, and the US could provide monitoring.
- The President of Ukraine believes that an exchange of prisoners of war on an ‘all for all’ basis could serve as a positive step towards ending the war. Mr Zelenskyy also highlighted measures to secure the return of civilians and children who were taken away during the war.
