Ukrainian President Zelenskyy rejected Putin's invitation to meet in Moscow, calling it unrealistic. Zelenskyy suggested Putin should come to Kyiv instead.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's suggestion to meet in Moscow, calling the choice of such an unrealistic meeting place a sign that Russia is not genuinely interested in negotiations.
The Ukrainian leader said in an interview with US television channel ABC News, "I can't go to the capital of this terrorist" because Ukraine is "under missile attacks, under fire every day."
"(Putin) can come to Kyiv," Zelensky said in response.
US President Donald Trump has been pushing face-to-face talks between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. A bilateral or trilateral meeting was one of the main goals of Trump's summit with Putin in Alaska last month.
Trump later said Putin and Zelenskyy would meet after the Ukrainian president visits Washington and talks with European leaders, but Moscow has been putting additional conditions on the table, stalling a decision and stepping up shelling of Ukrainian cities.
This week, Putin said he was "ready" to meet with Zelenskyy, but in Moscow. On Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov explained that Zelenskyy had been invited to the Russian capital "to talk, not to capitulate".
The day before, speaking in Paris after the summit of the "coalition of the resolute," the Ukrainian president commented on Putin's invitation.
"I believe that if you want the meeting not to take place, you should invite me to Moscow," Zelenskyy said, adding that the fact that the Russian leadership voiced any options for a personal meeting at all is an accomplishment on its own.
"Something will happen, but they are not ready yet ... We're going to do it," Trump told CBS News the same day, without specifying any timeline for talks that Washington would find acceptable.
'Turning diplomacy into an outright farce'
On Saturday, Zelenskyy wrote on social media that Russia launched more than 1,300 drones, nearly 900 guided bombs and some 50 missiles of various types at Ukraine during the first five days of September.
He said the strikes hit 14 regions of the country.
"Russia is seeking to prolong the war, trying to turn diplomacy into a blatant farce," the Ukrainian leader said.
"And there should be a common response to this: to shelling and destruction, to ignoring diplomatic efforts and civilised dialogue," he added.
Zelenskyy called on Ukraine's partners to strengthen sanctions against Moscow, increase arms supplies to Ukraine and impose effective restrictions on Russian oil and gas trade.