Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a conditional willingness to peace talks if his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky is coming Moscow to hold talks on ending the war.
According to Fox News, Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to come to Moscow and meet directly, saying that he has “never refused to meet.” According to the Russian state news agency, Putin made this statement in China where he was attending a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of World War II with Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Putin said, “If Zelensky is ready to meet, come to Moscow.” According to President Putin, if an acceptable solution is not agreed upon in this meeting, Russia has the ability to resolve the issue militarily. However, there was no immediate response from the Ukrainian President’s office and the White House. On the other hand, former US President Donald Trump has said that he will speak directly with Putin “in a few days.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said that “we have taken strong measures against Russia and now we have to see what happens next.”Trump says that the two-week deadline given to Putin to meet with Zelensky has passed and he is now fully assessing the situation.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sibiha called Putin’s proposals “deliberately unacceptable” on X (formerly Twitter). He says that seven countries, including Austria, the Vatican, Switzerland, Turkey and three Gulf states, have offered to host peace talks, and President Zelensky is ready to hold talks at any time.
The foreign minister said, “Putin is just wasting time. We need to increase global pressure to bring Russia to the table for serious negotiations.”Fox News has confirmed that Trump will also contact Zelensky by phone on Thursday to discuss the future course of action.
It should be remembered that the Russia-Ukraine war has entered its third year and no lasting diplomatic solution has yet been found. Putin says that Russian troops are advancing on all fronts while Ukraine has lost its ability to fight a war.
Read also: Pakistan is ready for Russian mediatory role to de-escalate tension: Envoy