Russia says it's ready for Zelensky-Putin meeting — but only if Ukraine's president travels to Moscow
President Volodymyr Zelensky should travel to Moscow if he wants to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Jan. 28.
The comment follows remarks by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who said Zelensky is ready to meet Putin to resolve two core issues in the peace process: territorial questions and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
"We have never refused and do not refuse this kind of contact," Ushakov said, adding that Moscow is prepared to ensure Zelensky's security and working conditions if he comes to Russia.
The exchange comes as Ukraine, Russia, and the United States reengage in diplomacy amid President Donald Trump's renewed push to end the war, with the next round of talks expected on Feb. 1.
A senior U.S. official familiar with the matter previously said a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin — potentially involving Trump — is not out of reach.
"I don't think we're so far away from that," the official told reporters.
Both Ukrainian and U.S. leaders have previously sought to arrange direct talks between Zelensky and Putin, but Moscow has repeatedly found reasons to avoid such a meeting.
In 2025, Zelensky invited Putin to Istanbul for talks on May 16, proposing a three-way format with Trump to advance peace efforts. Putin declined to attend and instead sent a low-level delegation led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
After meeting Putin in Alaska, Trump said he was working to facilitate a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, though the Kremlin later denied that any agreement had been reached.
Trump later said that Putin avoids meeting Zelensky because "he doesn't like him."
In the fall of 2025, Putin for the first time invited Zelensky to Moscow for talks, an offer the Ukrainian president rejected, saying that Putin should come to Kyiv instead.
Zelensky and Putin last met in person in Paris in December 2019 during Normandy Format talks mediated by France and Germany. They have not held direct talks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
