Kremlin Demands Zelenskyy-Putin Talks Only in Moscow, Rejects Alternative Peace Talk Venues

Russia is considering only Moscow as a potential location for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The announcement was made by Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov on January 29.

“Russia is currently only talking about negotiations with Zelenskyy in Moscow, discussions about other locations for the talks are inappropriate,” Peskov said, according to RIA Novosti.

The spokesperson added that there has been no response yet from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy regarding the repeated invitation to Moscow for peace talks.

Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, criticized Russia’s approach to the peace talks in Abu Dhabi, highlighting that the Russian delegation, composed mainly of military representatives, demonstrates Moscow’s lack of seriousness in seeking an end to the war against Ukraine.

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War in Ukraine

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Speaking in Brussels ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, Kallas emphasized that these military officials have no mandate to negotiate or finalize peace agreements.

“If we look at these talks, Russia is represented by military personnel who have no mandate to agree on peace as such. It is therefore obvious that the Russians are not taking this seriously,” she said.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is open to meeting Vladimir Putin to address what he described as the two most pressing issues in peace talks—territorial disputes and the future control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

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