Kremlin Says Putin-Zelensky Meeting Should Be Well Prepared and Results-Oriented

JAKARTA - The Kremlin's Assistant for Foreign Policy, Yuri Ushakov, said on Wednesday, any future meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must be well prepared and result-oriented.

Ushakov, speaking to state television, said Moscow had never ruled out such a meeting.

According to him, if President Zelensky is ready for the meeting, he can come to Moscow and his personal security will be guaranteed, as reported by Al Arabiya from Reuters (29/1).

It is not the first time that Russia has put forward the idea of a meeting of the two leaders in Moscow, an idea rejected by President Zelensky last year who suggested President Putin come to Kyiv instead.

Previously, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said President Zelenskyy was ready to meet directly with President Putin to discuss territorial issues and the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

"As you know, the most sensitive issues are still unresolved. In fact, to solve them, the president is ready to meet with Putin and discuss this," Sybiha told Pravda Europe.

It is known that the territorial issue and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are among the sensitive issues in the peace efforts of the two countries.

Last Saturday, an unnamed US official told Axios that President Zelensky and President Putin were "very close" to arranging a meeting, after Washington mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi last week.