Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed his readiness to receive Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Moscow for direct talks. At the same time, the Russian side still believes that the leaders' meeting should take place after the basic terms of a peace settlement are agreed upon.
This was stated on Tuesday, October 27, by Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, TASS reports TASS.
According to Ushakov, the possibility of a personal meeting between Putin and Zelensky was discussed during a telephone conversation between the Russian president and Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
The Kremlin representative claims that the European leaders conveyed to Putin information about Zelensky's interest in direct negotiations.
In response, the Russian president repeated the previously announced proposal to hold a meeting in Moscow. Ushakov said that if the Ukrainian leader comes, the Russian side promises to provide the necessary conditions, including security.
However, the Kremlin believes that high-level negotiations are advisable only after documents on a long-term settlement of the war have been prepared.
According to Ushakov's explanation, the negotiating groups must first agree on the necessary documents. After that, the presidents of Ukraine and Russia could meet, review the results of the delegations' work and sign the agreements reached.
Thus, Moscow did not propose a specific date for the meeting and did not announce the agreement on negotiations between the presidents. The Russian side effectively repeated its previous position regarding the venue and conditions of a possible summit.
Putin has previously proposed that Zelensky come to the Russian capital. In particular, in January and June 2026, Ushakov publicly repeated the invitation to Moscow, promising to ensure the Ukrainian president's security.
The telephone conversation between Putin, Stubb and Støre took place on October 27 at the initiative of the Finnish and Norwegian sides. As the Norwegian government reported, before the conversation with the Russian president, the European leaders held consultations with Ukraine.
The main topic of discussion was diplomatic efforts to end the war and the preparation of a new round of trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the United States and Russia, which may be held in Abu Dhabi in November.
After the conversation with Putin, Stubb and Støre contacted Vladimir Zelensky and informed him of the results of the conversation.
As the Office of the President of Ukraine reported, the European leaders stressed in the conversation with Putin the need for real steps towards de-escalation, primarily the cessation of strikes on Ukrainian energy and infrastructure.
Zelensky also confirmed that the parties discussed the preparation of a trilateral meeting of the negotiating teams of Ukraine, the United States and Russia in November, as well as possible formats for further participation of European partners in the diplomatic process.
At the same time, the Ukrainian side has not publicly confirmed an agreement on Zelensky's visit to Moscow. There is also no agreed date for possible negotiations between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia.
