Zelenskyy says ready to meet Putin anywhere, but not in Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed details of his talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin regarding a possible venue for a leaders-level meeting, in an interview with Fox News.

Zelenskyy noted that Putin was offered a variety of countries to choose from, not only neutral ones, but even those friendly to Russia, such as Kazakhstan. And Ukraine is ready to meet anywhere, Caliber.Az reports via a Ukrainian news portal.

"Trump's team, my team, the Europeans, including Macron and other leaders, and the Turkish president—we all proposed meetings in Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, in Europe, in neutral countries like Austria or Switzerland. We said, 'Even if you want somewhere else, like Kazakhstan, we're ready,'" he mentioned.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his readiness to meet with Putin anywhere, but certainly not in Moscow, as Putin had previously proposed.

"Putin's proposal is simply a pretext to postpone the meeting," Zelenskyy highlighted.

In recent developments, US President Donald Trump met with Zelenskyy at the 2025 United Nations General Assembly, urging stronger sanctions against Russia and suggesting a potential peace summit involving himself, Zelenskyy, and Putin. However, Russia has dismissed the idea of such a summit, and the prospects for a direct meeting between the two leaders remain uncertain.

By Khagan Isayev