Putin sends Zelenskyj a poisoned invitation to Moscow – and is immediately rejected
To meet with Putin, Zelensky would have to come to Moscow for an audience, the Kremlin chief said. But according to Putin, that would probably not bring peace anyway.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected calls for a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, at a negotiating venue abroad. He stated that any summit must take place in Moscow.
If Zelenskyy wanted to meet with him but at the same time demanded that he travel somewhere else, that would be asking too much, Putin said at the economic forum in Vladivostok. "The best place for this (for a meeting) is the capital of the Russian Federation, the hero city of Moscow," he said.
The Ukrainian president reiterated that he will not travel to the Russian capital for talks. "I think if they do n't want a meeting to take place, they should invite me to Moscow," Zelenskyy said, according to RBC Ukraine .
According to Ukrainian sources, seven countries are willing to host a summit. In Vladivostok, Putin insisted on Moscow as the venue for the negotiations, which he had already proposed during his visit to China. The security of the guests would be 100 percent guaranteed, he said. Talks in Moscow would further strengthen the Kremlin's negotiating position, which continues to see itself as having the advantage on the front lines, thanks to the home advantage.
At the same time, Putin again fundamentally questioned the purpose of such talks between him and Zelensky, once again questioning the legitimacy of the Ukrainian president. His term officially expired last year but has been extended due to martial law.
Putin claimed that negotiations with Zelenskyy could not produce results because he no longer had the legal authority to sign anything. Ukrainian martial law stipulates that no elections can be held during the war, and the president's powers are therefore extended. Putin began his war against Ukraine in February 2022.
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