Zelenskyy invites Putin to Kyiv “if he dares”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to travel to Kyiv for peace talks, saying a leaders’ summit is the only way to reach a final agreement to end the war.

“I am publicly inviting him, if he dares, of course,” Zelenskyy said in response to earlier invitatoion from Kremlin to visit Moscow, Caliber.Az reports, quoting foreign media.

The Ukrainian leader dismissed the invitation, calling such a meeting “impossible.” He also ruled out talks in Belarus, citing the country’s close ties to the Kremlin. Zelenskyy said he is open to “any format” of leaders’ summit, but only outside Russia and Belarus.

His comments come amid scepticism over whether Moscow has agreed to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for a week. Zelenskyy said there is no official ceasefire agreement in place and described the proposal as an “opportunity” rather than a binding deal.

According to Zelenskyy, the initiative to pause attacks on energy targets was proposed by the United States and came personally from Donald Trump. He said Ukraine would reciprocate if Russia followed through.

Zelenskyy said that if Moscow halts strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Kyiv will refrain from strikes on Russia's energy sites in return.

He added that peace talks have not yet reached their most contentious issue — territorial control — and stressed that any final agreement could only be concluded at a meeting between national leaders.

Ukraine’s capital continues to face a deepening humanitarian crisis as winter conditions worsen. Russian strikes on the energy grid have left large parts of Kyiv without electricity, heating, and water during freezing temperatures.

Until this month, power cuts following Russian attacks had followed fixed schedules, but that fragile system has now collapsed. Some residents have gone up to 30 hours without electricity, while hundreds have been left without heat as temperatures have dropped as low as -20C, with colder weather forecast in the coming days.

By Sabina Mammadli