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Zelenskyy Rejects Idea of Inviting Putin to Kyiv. Says It Would Be “Destructive”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the idea of inviting Russian leader Vladimir Putin to Kyiv, describing such a proposal as counterproductive and unlikely to contribute to efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on November 3, Zelenskyy said that Russia would not accept an invitation to Kyiv.
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“They came to us in 2022 without an invitation. There is no point in inviting Putin to Kyiv because they will not come. Inviting them just so they do not come is destructive. Just as inviting me to Moscow is,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president also criticized Moscow’s approach to diplomatic engagement, arguing that such proposals undermine international efforts to secure an end to the war.
“What Russia is doing is destructive. It is simply spitting in the face of the entire world, which wants the war to end,” he added.
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“It would be a very formal, dry telephone conversation in which I would once again listen to a historical lecture from the leader of the Russian Federation rather than real steps toward actually ending the war,” the Ukrainian president said.
Putin has repeatedly used lengthy historical narratives to justify Russia’s actions against Ukraine, including in his February 2022 address shortly before the full-scale invasion, when he questioned Ukraine’s statehood and presented the country as historically inseparable from Russia.
Instead, Zelenskyy emphasized the need for direct negotiations focused on concrete measures to stop the fighting, beginning with a ceasefire.
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“We need to do more than just talk about this. We need to sit down, negotiate, and demonstrate where the other side is wrong, because it is the aggressor. If we want to end the war, we must meet and take the first step toward a ceasefire,” he concluded.
Zelenskyy’s remarks come as Ukraine seeks to accelerate the next round of trilateral negotiations with the United States and Russia in Abu Dhabi, while also pushing for European Union participation.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, which reported on the developments on October 26, Kyiv is seeking to move the talks forward by at least one week and include an EU representative in the discussions.
The negotiations are currently expected to begin around November 10, following the US midterm elections. Sources familiar with the negotiations told Ukrainska Pravda that Kyiv and Washington are working to persuade Moscow to agree to an earlier meeting, although Russia, and at times the United States, has reportedly opposed European participation in the initial round of talks.
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