Kremlin rules out Putin-Zelensky meeting anywhere other than Moscow after Ukrainian president invites him to Kiev
Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. Collage: Ion Mateș / Hotnews. Photo: Profimedia, Shutterstock
The Kremlin has said that any direct negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky can only take place in Moscow. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Russia was not considering other locations for direct talks between the two leaders.
According to a message published on Monday, February 2, by the Russian state agency TASS and quoted by the Kyiv Post, Peskov also specified that separate trilateral talks are scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Abu Dhabi. The meeting was postponed from Sunday due to schedule adjustments between the three parties.
After talks between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi, the United States did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in the near future.
Zelensky categorically rejected the possibility of a meeting with Putin in Moscow and instead publicly invited the Kremlin leader to Kiev.
Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov said on January 28 that Zelenskiy could come to Moscow for talks with Putin if he is willing, saying Russia would guarantee his safety and adequate conditions.
Commenting on Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sîbiga's statements regarding Zelensky's willingness to meet, Ushakov said such a format was “not new” and had been discussed in phone conversations with US President Donald Trump.
He insisted that Russia has “never refused” direct talks, but stressed that they must be carefully prepared and aimed at concrete results.
Sîbiga told European Pravda that Zelenskiy is ready to meet Putin because key issues, including control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and territorial issues, remain unresolved. He claimed that Russia continues to block a deal.
According to reports, Putin floated the idea of Moscow as the site of a meeting in a phone call with Trump in late August 2025, but Zelenskiy rejected the proposal. The meeting did not take place, and the two leaders have not seen each other since 2019.
