‘Ready to meet Zelenskyy if he comes to Moscow’

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he does not rule out the possibility of meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but questioned whether such talks would carry any real weight given Kyiv’s current political and constitutional situation. He suggested the conflict could be resolved politically if Ukraine and Western nations adopted a pragmatic approach, warning that otherwise Russia would be forced to achieve its objectives militarily.

“I’ve never ruled out meeting Zelenskyy,” Putin said.“But the real question is whether such a meeting would be meaningful.” He argued that Ukraine is led by an “illegitimate leader” and constrained by a constitution requiring referendums and martial law provisions that could be extended indefinitely.

The Russian leader stressed that Moscow’s war aims are centred on protecting cultural and linguistic rights rather than seizing territory. “We are not fighting for land,” he said. “We are fighting for people’s rights — to speak their language and practise their culture. If those people choose democratically to join Russia, we must respect that choice.”