The Kremlin dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement that he was ready for direct talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the fighting as 'empty words'. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that 'readiness has to be based on something' and that Zelensky cannot speak to Putin after signing a decree banning negotiations with him in 2022. Peskov also reiterated Russia's claim that Zelensky is not a legitimate president and that Kyiv has to demonstrate openness to talks.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi speak to the press during ther meeting in Kyiv on February 4, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. -Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP
“So far this cannot be seen as anything but empty words,“ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, after Zelensky said in an interview that he would agree to sit at a negotiating table with Putin. The spokesman also reiterated Russia’s frequent claim that Zelensky is not a legitimate president. Ukraine has a ban on holding elections during martial law.
The spokesman added that the “reality on the ground says that Kyiv has to be the first to demonstrate to openness and interest in such talks”, apparently referring to Russian military advances.
UKRAINE RUSSIA ZELENSKY PUTIN TALKS
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