Zelenskyy publicly invites Putin to Kyiv 'if he dares'

“Of course, it is impossible for me to meet with Putin in Moscow. It's the same as meeting with Putin in Kyiv. I can also invite him to Kyiv, let him come. I publicly invite him, if he dares, of course,” Zelenskyy said.

He stressed that Ukraine wants to reach a real end to the war and a productive meeting.

“But if someone does not want to meet but cannot afford to say so directly for some reason, then these invitations to Moscow are heard. It is clear what is happening,” the president said.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine is serious about ending the war. Therefore, any real format for a meeting at the leadership level is acceptable.

"I don't know what the outcome will be. But at least it will be better than what is happening today. Of course, we always advocate for Europeans to be involved in the process. But I'm not sure that the other two sides will support this format specifically for a meeting of leaders. Not regarding security guarantees, for example, but specifically regarding particularly complex issues," the president added.

Zelenskyy says he is ready for any format that will work to end the war.

“But in Moscow and Belarus, this is simply impossible, and it is absolutely clear why. Because these are states, one of which is an aggressor that started and is waging war against us, killing us, and the other country is its partner in these actions,” Zelenskyy said.

Meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin

After negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Abu Dhabi, the United States did not rule out that a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin could take place in the near future.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has again offered Zelenskyy to meet with Putin in Moscow. Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov, said that Russia is putting forward two key conditions for such a meeting.

Russian president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is only considering Moscow for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. According to him, considerations of another place for negotiations are inappropriate.