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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday (local time) expressed openness to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in order to achieve a complete solution to end the ongoing war in a third country for the first time, signalling a potential shift in the long-stalled engagement between the two nations.
Speaking to the media after the Victory Day Parade on Tuesday, Putin said he never refused to meet his Ukrainian counterpart for talks, but noted that the meeting in a "third country" can only be possible if a comprehensive, long-term peace agreement is reached, and it would only be for signing the agreement. "I just heard once more that the Ukrainian side and Mr Zelenskyy are ready to have a personal meeting. We heard that before. We have never refused; I have never refused. If they propose a meeting, those who want to meet can travel to Moscow," Putin said. "We can meet in a third country as well, but only after there is an ultimate agreement regarding a peace deal that must be a long-term deal. Then we can meet to sign something, but this should be the final thing to do, not the place for negotiations," he added. The Russian President emphasized that preliminary negotiations should be handled by specialists, noting that discussions similar to the Minsk accords often result in long talks with little progress. "We know what these negotiations could look like from the Minsk accords. One can speak for hours, and it yields no results. We need specialists to take care of that, to make it clear for both sides. Then we can meet to sign or attend a ceremony," he added. The Minsk Accords were a pair of agreements reached in 2014 and 2015 in Belarus, designed to resolve the conflict in Ukraine's Donbas region between Ukrainian troops and Russian-supported separatists. While they aimed to establish a ceasefire, remove heavy weaponry, and politically reintegrate the breakaway areas into Ukraine, the accords did not succeed in halting the violence. Putin's remarks mark the first time the Russian President has publicly suggested a meeting outside Russia with Zelenskyy, signalling a potential pathway toward a formal peace settlement amid the ongoing war between Moscow and Kyiv, which is currently in its fifth year after Russia's invasion in February 2022. Earlier in September 2025, Putin had expressed his openness to meet Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, suggesting that such a meeting could take place in Moscow, provided that the meeting is well-prepared and aimed at producing a constructive outcome. During a press briefing following his four-day visit to China, Putin emphasised the possibility of dialogue amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reiterating that he has "never ruled out" such a meeting but stressed it must be in line with Ukraine's constitutional framework. (ANI)
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