‘If Zelenskyy Is Truly Ready...’: Putin Aide Welcomes Ukraine President To Moscow

Last Updated:January 28, 2026, 20:42 IST

Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow has not ruled out talks with Zelenskyy, adding that any meeting must be prepared and aimed at concrete results.

World leaders attend Ukraine talks in Paris in December 2019, the last time Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy held formal talks. (IMAGE: AFP FILE)

A senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be welcome to come to Moscow for talks, a suggestion that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected as unacceptable.

“If Zelenskyy is truly ready for a meeting, then please — we invite him to Moscow," Yuri Ushakov, a top Kremlin aide, said in comments to state television reporter Pavel Zarubin, a Kremlin pool journalist whose interviews are often used to convey official Russian messaging.

The remarks were shared in a video clip by NEXTA, a Belarusian opposition-linked media outlet, on social media. News18 could not independently verify the authenticity or full context of the video.

“I would like to say a few words about his statement that Zelenskyy is ready for a meeting with the President of Russia. This is not a new issue for us. It has been discussed several times during telephone conversations between our President, Vladimir Putin, and US President Trump. During these conversations, Trump in particular suggested that we consider such a possibility," Ushakov is heard telling the reporter.

Ushakov said Moscow’s position on potential talks has been consistent, stressing that Russia has never ruled out such contacts but believes any meeting must be carefully prepared and focused on delivering concrete, positive outcomes rather than symbolic gestures.

“Our President has also said several times, while speaking to journalists, that if Zelenskyy is truly ready for a meeting, then we invite him to Moscow, and we will guarantee full security and all the necessary conditions for work."

News world ‘If Zelenskyy Is Truly Ready...’: Putin Aide Welcomes Ukraine President To Moscow

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