Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could come to Moscow if he is willing to meet with Putin, claiming that Russia would guarantee his safety.
– Commenting on remarks by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha about Zelensky’s readiness to meet with Putin, Ushakov said the issue was “not new” for the Kremlin.
– A possible meeting with Zelensky had been discussed several times during telephone conversations with US President Donald Trump.
– Russia “has never refused and is not refusing” this format of peace talks.
– “The main thing is that these contacts are well prepared and focused on achieving specific positive results,” Ushakov said, adding that Putin had repeatedly stated that if Zelensky is ready for a meeting, Russia would invite him to Moscow and guarantee his security and the necessary working conditions.
– Sybiha said in an interview with European Pravda released on Jan. 27 that Zelensky is ready to meet with Putin.
– He told that control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and territorial issues remain unresolved in efforts to end the war.
– He added that resolving these questions is precisely why Zelensky is ready to meet with Putin, while stressing that Russia “continues to be an obstacle” to reaching a settlement.
– The comments follow the first direct Ukraine-Russia talks held under a US-led peace initiative last week.
– The negotiations included two days of closed-door trilateral discussions between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Abu Dhabi.
– A third round of trilateral talks is expected to continue there this week.
– Zelensky described the talks as “constructive,” while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there was still “significant work ahead.”
– Sybiha said negotiations also focused extensively on the parameters of a potential ceasefire and on mechanisms for monitoring or verifying it.
– Trump also offered a positive assessment of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, telling that “very good things are happening” in relations between Kyiv and Moscow.
– Notably, in late August 2025, Putin reportedly offered to host peace talks with Zelensky in Moscow during a phone call with Trump.
– Putin had “mentioned” Moscow as a possible venue during the call. Zelensky, who was at the White House at the time along with several European leaders, was said to have rejected the idea.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/68971