Zelenskyy says he will meet Putin only outside Russian territory
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready for talks on a bilateral or trilateral meeting. However, they cannot take place on Russian territory, ABC News informs.
On Friday, Zelenskyy spoke with Martha Raddatz, ABC News' Chief Global Affairs Correspondent.
When asked whether the chance for a bilateral meeting with Russia had been lost, Zelenskyy said negotiations remain possible.
He clarified that he is ready for any meeting — bilateral or trilateral — but not on Russian soil.
"It was a signal from the president and from President Trump. I said, Mr. President, I'm ready for any kind of meeting — but not in Russia — any kind of meeting, bilateral, trilateral. We'll be happy if you are in. Even the preconditions that we had at the very beginning of the year: a ceasefire and then a meeting. Then we spoke about security guarantees, and then a meeting," Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader also thanked the United States for confirming its readiness to provide security guarantees to Ukraine. He said this issue remains central in the context of future negotiations.
Zelenskyy-Putin meeting
Notably, preparations for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin are currently not progressing.
After US President Donald Trump announced a possible bilateral meeting, Russia denied that Putin had promised to meet with the Ukrainian president. Trump himself noted that the leaders were not yet ready for negotiations.
However, on September 3, Putin said he would not rule out a meeting, but only if Zelenskyy traveled to Moscow.
In the ABC News interview, Zelenskyy emphasized that he is ready to host Putin in Kyiv. However, he said he cannot travel to the capital of this terrorist while his country is under daily attacks.
