Putin had said earlier this week that he was “never against” meeting with Zelenskyy and invited him to Moscow. “If Zelenskyy is ready, then let him come to Moscow. This meeting will take place,” the Russian leader said.

🇺🇦🇷🇺 ZELENSKY REJECTS PUTIN’S INVITE TO MOSCOW FOR TALKS

Zelensky rejected Putin’s proposal to travel to Moscow for negotiations.

He made it clear the idea of a diplomatic settlement on Kremlin terms is off the table.pic.twitter.com/Dr04O9ADzG

-Dan-i-El (@danielibertari0) September 6, 2025

The remarks came as US President Donald Trump has sought to mediate a settlement. Trump told Fox News in August that his goal was to “put the two of them in a room,” and pitched a trilateral summit with Russia and Ukraine during his Alaska meeting with Putin. He later said a bilateral encounter could follow after Zelenskyy’s planned visit to Washington.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, however, said this week it was “clear” that a one-on-one between Putin and Zelenskyy was unlikely.

Zelenskyy insisted that Putin’s Moscow invitation was a stalling tactic. “He is trying to postpone the meeting,” the Ukrainian leader told ABC News. He also said that he is “ready for the meeting” in “any kind of format.” He added that Putin was “playing games with the United States”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted on X this week that several countries, including Austria, Switzerland, Türkiye, the Holy See, and three Gulf states, were prepared to host peace talks with Zelenskyy in attendance. “If a person doesn’t want to meet during the war, of course, he can propose something which can’t be acceptable by me or by others,” Zelenskyy said, according to ABC News.

(With inputs from ABC News)