Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine’s demands regarding the location of a possible summit between him and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were excessive. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin stressed Moscow’s readiness for dialogue and called the Russian capital the best place for negotiations.
Putin Stresses Readiness for a Meeting
Putin criticized Kyiv’s contradictory stance, noting that Ukrainian officials had previously ruled out any contact with Moscow but are now proposing talks. He reiterated that the Kremlin is open to high-level negotiations.
“If someone truly wants to meet with us, we are ready. The best place for this is the capital of the Russian Federation, the hero city of Moscow,” Putin said. He added that Zelensky would be provided with a 100-percent guarantee of safety should he accept the invitation.
Kremlin Response to Zelensky’s Refusal
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that the invitation came directly from Putin and rejected claims that it implied Kyiv’s capitulation. He stressed that organizing such a summit required significant preparatory work, including technical and humanitarian arrangements. Peskov noted that the delegation already led by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky represented a high-level channel of communication and praised previous negotiation efforts. On September 4, Zelensky again refused to travel to Moscow, insisting that a top-level meeting should ideally result in an end to the conflict.
Putin Warns Against Foreign Troops in Ukraine
Putin declared that the presence of Western troops in Ukraine would make them legitimate military targets. He argued that such deployments were one of the main reasons Ukraine was being drawn into NATO and added that after peace is achieved, no foreign contingent would be necessary. His comments came after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 countries were prepared to send or support foreign deployments under a new security guarantee framework for Ukraine.
Putin on Yanukovych and EU Integration
During his address, Putin recalled the reaction of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to the potential consequences of joining the European Union. According to Putin, Yanukovych “did the math and shed tears” upon realizing that opening Ukrainian markets to competitive European goods would devastate domestic industry. Putin stressed that while Moscow could accept Ukraine’s EU membership as a sovereign choice, NATO accession remained unacceptable. He described it as an attempt to resolve Ukraine’s security at Russia’s expense.
Yanukovych, who recently reappeared in public, said European negotiators acted unfairly during talks in 2013–2014. He reiterated that he had always opposed Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
