Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andriy Sibiha, reacted sharply to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow, calling it unacceptable.
Commenting on Putin’s statement at the conference in Beijing, where he invited Zelensky to talks in the Russian capital, Sibiha emphasized that there are several alternative and serious options available.
He highlighted that at least seven countries have expressed their willingness to host a peace summit between Ukraine and Russia, including Austria, the Vatican, Switzerland, Turkey, and three Gulf states.
“These are serious proposals, and President Zelensky is ready for such a meeting at any time. However, Putin continues to delay everything by presenting deliberately unacceptable proposals,” Sibiha stated in a post on X.
The Ukrainian top diplomat concluded that “only increased pressure can finally compel Russia to engage seriously in the peace process.”
On August 22, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky could only take place after a detailed negotiation plan is prepared, which is not currently the case.
At the same time, The Guardian reported that U.S. President Donald Trump aims to allow Russia and Ukraine to organize a meeting between their leaders, temporarily stepping back from direct negotiations to end the war.
