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Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the possibility of hosting a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow to help end the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the idea of hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow as part of efforts to end the war, according to two sources who spoke to AFP about a recent phone conversation between Putin and then US President Donald Trump.
During the discussion, which took place on Monday, “Putin mentioned Moscow” as a potential venue for talks, the sources said.
However, Ukrainian President Zelensky dismissed the idea. According to the report, Zelensky had said “no” in response to Putin’sproposal. After a summit at the White House on Monday with the leaders of Germany, France, Finland, Italy and the UK, Trump said the next step to ending the war could be a direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. The Ukrainian leader has said in recent weeks he is ready to sit down with Putin to stop the invasion, which has already killed tens of thousands and forced millions from their homes.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told state media that Putin was open to the “idea” of direct talks with Ukraine, confirming what he told Trump in their call. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added on Tuesday that any meeting between Putin and Zelensky would need to be “very thoroughly” prepared.
Switzerland has said it would grant Putin immunity if he travelled there for peace talks, despite the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him.
Just last week, Trump met Putin in Alaska, breaking with years of Western attempts to isolate the Russian president. But the meeting ended without Putin offering any firm guaranteesonpeace.