Moscow welcomes dialogue with Ukraine

Zelensky admitted a possibility of negotiations with Putin if Moscow agreed to discuss a peace plan. Readiness for dialogue is better than all the talking about "war till the last Ukrainian,” but Moscow first needs to wait for Kyiv's actions.

The remarks from Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky about his readiness to negotiate with Russia even with Putin as President are better than statements about the impossibility of such a dialogue, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Of course, a conversation in one tone or another about dialogue is much better than a conversation about the intention to fight to the last Ukrainian,” Peskov believes.

The Kremlin is waiting for Ukraine to take certain actions first:

"What exactly is behind these words, what specific plans are we talking about, what actions it goes about, whether the conversation is serious — we can not judge yet," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Last week, Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC that Ukraine would be ready to talk with Russian representatives, "whether it's Putin or not Putin — who cares", if Moscow agreed to discuss the peace plan that could be developed at the second summit.

Zelensky outlawed negotiations with Russian President Putin after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye regions became part of Russia in the fall of 2022.

The Russian authorities referred to that document and stated that Moscow was ready for dialogue based on Russia's interests. Moscow considers Ukraine's conditions contained in Zelensky's "peace formula” unacceptable.