Russian President Vladimir Putin says he had “never ruled out” the possibility of meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to end the three and half year long war, but added that if no peace deal was reached, Moscow would achieve its aims militarily.
“Donald [Trump] asked me for such a meeting, I said: ‘Yes, it’s possible, let Zelenskyy come to Moscow’,” Putin said on Wednesday at the end of his visit to China, adding that if such a meeting was worthwhile.
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Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,287
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Putin, Kim meet in Beijing; Kremlin says Russia not plotting against US
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Zelenskyy on security guarantees shuttle as fighting rages in Ukraine war
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“Is there any point? Let’s see,” said Putin in Beijing, as he called for elections, questioning the legitimacy of Zelenskyy.
US President Donald Trump, who has been trying to broker a peace settlement, called for a one-on-one meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy in efforts to end the war after holding talks with the Russian leader in Alaska in mid-August.
But so far, no progress has been made on this, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday suggesting Geneva as a possible venue.
Putin has also demanded an end to martial law in Ukraine and a referendum on the territorial question, which have been rejected by Kyiv. Russia has reiterated that any peace deal with Ukraine would have to result in its retention of the four regions it annexed in 2022. In contrast, Kyiv has said there would be no deal that included giving up its land.
‘Resolve all our tasks militarily’
However, in response to Putin’s comments, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said there are “serious proposals” by seven countries to host a meeting between the two leaders, which Zelenskyy was ready for at “any point in time”.
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“Yet, Putin continues to mess around with everyone by making knowingly unacceptable proposals. Only increased pressure can force Russia to finally get serious about the peace process,” Sybiha wrote.
Putin added that the Ukraine conflict could be ended with a deal if common sense prevailed and that there was light at the end of the tunnel, but cautioned that if not, then it would have to be resolved militarily.
“Let’s see how the situation develops. If not, then we will have to resolve all our tasks militarily,” Putin told reporters when asked about the prospects for a deal.
Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Moscow, said Putin provided an “insight” into how he sees the war unfolding.
“He [Putin] believes that the United States administration of Donald Trump understands what Russia’s position is and that Russia would be willing to negotiate an end to this conflict, but it’s not going to submit to the demands that Ukraine is making and its own security guarantees have to be met,” Jabbari noted.
Trump to speak to Putin
Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that he would be speaking to Putin in the coming days, adding that he had no messages to Putin on ending the war because “he knows where I stand and he’ll make a decision one way or another.”
“Whatever his decision is, we’ll either be happy about it or unhappy about it, and if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen,” Trump warned.
Putin on Wednesday praised US envoy Steve Witkoff, saying the summit with Trump in Alaska showed that Witkoff had conveyed Russia’s views accurately to the US administration. On Tuesday, he said that the Trump administration has been listening to Russia’s stance on the Ukraine war.
While Putin discusses possible meetings with Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader hopes to speak to Trump on Thursday to push for new sanctions on Russia.
During a visit to the Danish capital, Copenhagen, Zelenskyy said they had “signals” from the US that they would “provide a backstop, and this is important”.
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from the White House, said Trump’s announcement of speaking to Putin is expected to concern a possible meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy to discuss an end to the war, which Putin has rejected unless it is in Moscow.
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“What is interesting is that the Elysee Palace in Paris has announced that Zelenskyy will meet with the so-called coalition of the willing either virtually or in person on Thursday, and the intention is that after that meeting, there will be a phone call with Donald Trump.
“Now, no confirmation yet from the White House, but that would certainly suggest the sequence of events will be coalition of the willing meeting with Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy then chats to Trump, Trump then talks to Putin, and we find out where that goes after that.”
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