Russian officials say the invitation remains open as territorial disputes and internal divisions complicate diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Kremlin said Jan. 29 that it has again invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to travel to Moscow for peace talks, reiterating a proposal that Kyiv has previously rejected as fighting continues between the two countries.
The renewed statement came the same day Russia and Ukraine conducted another exchange of war dead and hours after Moscow declined to comment on suggestions that both sides may have agreed to halt attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure.
Asked whether talks could be held in a neutral location, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the offer remained unchanged. “We’re still talking about Moscow. As diplomats say, speculative discussions are inappropriate here,” Peskov said, adding that the Kremlin has not yet received a response from Zelenskyy, according to comments reported by Russia’s state news agency TASS.
Peskov’s remarks followed statements made a day earlier by Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said Moscow has consistently left the door open to direct talks with Zelenskyy.
“Our president has said several times to journalists that if Zelenskyy is truly ready for a meeting, then we would be happy to invite him to Moscow,” Ushakov said. He added that Russia has “never refused, and will not refuse” such contacts, provided they are well prepared and focused on achieving “specific positive results.”
Ushakov also said the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy had been discussed during telephone conversations between Putin and President Donald Trump.
Zelenskyy rejected a similar invitation last year, saying he could not visit the capital of a country that was launching daily missile strikes against Ukraine. At the time, he suggested that Putin travel to Kyiv instead.
The Kremlin’s comments come amid continued diplomatic maneuvering involving international intermediaries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Jan. 28 that disagreements over territory remain the central obstacle to a peace deal, describing the issue as “very difficult” to resolve during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine surrender its entire eastern industrial region known as the Donbas. While Russian forces control much of the area, Ukraine still holds roughly 20 percent of the Donetsk region and has resisted calls to cede the territory as part of any agreement.
Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. representatives held their first official trilateral meeting last weekend in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with a second round scheduled for Feb. 1 in the same city. Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Moscow on Jan. 29, where Putin thanked him for facilitating the talks.
Not all voices within Russia support a negotiated settlement. Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, publicly opposed peace talks, urging Moscow to pursue a military resolution instead.
“This state [Ukraine] will not exist. I believe that the war must be brought to an end. Negotiations after everything that has been done—I am against it,” Kadyrov said in remarks reported by TASS.
Kadyrov, who has governed the predominantly Muslim region in southwestern Russia since 2007, was present at the Kremlin during meetings held in conjunction with the Emirati president’s visit, underscoring the internal divisions within Russia as diplomatic efforts continue.
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