Kremlin says Putin-Zelensky meeting can only happen in Moscow
Moscow says Zelenskiy could visit only after decisions are made, with no high-level meetings yet scheduled
Published
The Kremlin said any meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky can only take place in Moscow, and dismissed summit talks held without proper preparation as unproductive.
Moscow has said Zelensky could visit only after decisions are made, and no high-level meeting has yet been scheduled.
The statement comes despite weeks of diplomatic activity around ending the war. Donald Trump said he and Zelensky are working on a plan to end the conflict, and was set to meet Zelensky on Tuesday as part of that push. Putin has also been in contact with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a Turkish plan for Black Sea shipping, with more diplomatic contact expected.
The Kremlin's insistence on Moscow as the venue marks a harder line than the momentum built by Trump's engagement and Putin's own signaled willingness to meet Zelensky. A demand for proper preparation is standard negotiating language, but the venue requirement, and the implicit rejection of neutral ground, narrows the path to near-term dialogue. It suggests Russia is conditioning serious talks on Ukraine first conceding symbolic ground.