Moscow [Russia], September 4: At a press conference at the end of his visit to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow.
"If Mr. Zelensky is ready, let him come to Moscow and this meeting will take place," President Putin said at a press conference late on September 3 in Beijing, where he had just attended a military parade marking the victory over Nazism. According to RT, the leader noted that Mr. Zelensky's presidential term had long ended.
Russia has repeatedly questioned Mr. Zelensky 's legitimacy while Kyiv has stressed that it is in a state of emergency and cannot hold elections yet.
After the summit in Alaska on August 15, US President Donald Trump said he was arranging a potential meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky. However, the Kremlin denied that the two sides had reached an agreement on the meeting.
At the press conference, Mr. Putin said he never ruled out the possibility of meeting Mr. Zelensky, but emphasized that this event must be carefully prepared in advance and must lead to positive results.
In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybyha said that the proposal to hold the meeting in Moscow was unacceptable.
In a post on social network X, the diplomat said that at least seven countries, including Austria, the Vatican, Switzerland and several Gulf countries, were ready to host the meeting. "These are serious proposals and President Zelensky is ready for such a meeting at any time. However, Mr. Putin continues to make things difficult for everyone by deliberately making unacceptable proposals," Mr. Sybyha wrote.
On the other hand, at the press conference, President Putin said there was light at the end of the tunnel in the possibility of an early end to the conflict, mentioning the active mediation efforts of the US. However, he warned that if a diplomatic solution is not found, Russia will have to achieve its goals through military means, declaring that Russia is advancing on all fronts.
The leader stressed that Ukraine's security cannot be guaranteed at the expense of Russia. Putin further clarified that Moscow does not oppose Ukraine joining the European Union (EU), but opposes the country joining NATO, according to RT.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
