Ukraine says claims of plot to lure Zelenskyy to Moscow aren't serious
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (photo: Getty Images)
The Kremlin has invited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the proposal should not be taken seriously, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, as cited by Helsingin Sanomat.
Minister Sybiha suggested that only a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin could give the negotiations a new quality. He stressed that the Ukrainian president is ready to discuss the most difficult and sensitive issues, including territorial matters.
The minister also commented on Russia's claim that Zelenskyy should travel to Moscow to meet with Putin.
"This should not be taken seriously," Sybiha said.
The foreign minister also said where the Ukrainian president and the Russian leader could meet.
"We don't care. The main thing is that it should not be Moscow or Belarus," he said.
Sybiha added that a high-level meeting could lead to specific confidence-building steps, such as a prisoner exchange and the return of abducted children.
As previously reported, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told the Russian president that Zelenskyy wanted to hold direct talks with him.
Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said Zelenskyy could travel to Moscow to meet with the Kremlin leader, where the Kremlin would provide all necessary conditions, including security.
On October 27, Stubb and Støre spoke with Putin by phone. During the conversation, they discussed Russia's war against Ukraine and possible ways to end it.
In addition, during his conversation with the Finnish and Norwegian leaders, Putin said Russia would continue its attempts to seize the entire Donbas region.
