'Let him come to Moscow': Putin on meeting Ukraine's Zelensky amid Trump's peace bid

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that if the meeting with Zelensky is well prepared, then he is ready to meet him.

Updated on: Sep 3, 2025, 20:00:51 IST

By HT News Desk

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that he is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a press conference, at the end of his visit to China in Beijing, China, September 3, 2025. (Reuters)

“If meeting with Zelensky is well prepared, then I'm ready to meet,” Putin said, according to Reuters. “Let Zelensky come to Moscow and the meeting will happen.”

Putin was addressing a press conference in Beijing at the end of his visit to China for the Tianjin SCO Summit and the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The Russian president also vowed to carry on fighting in Ukraine if a peace deal was not reached.

"I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel," Putin told reporters in Beijing, adding: "Let's see how the situation develops. If not, then we will have to resolve all our tasks militarily".

Also Read | Trump says he is 'very disappointed' with Putin over Ukraine war

Putin's remarks come amid efforts from US President Donald Trump to broker a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump held a summit with Putin in Alaska in mid-August and subsequently met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and key European and NATO alliance leaders at the White House.

Also Read | Is Putin ‘playing’ Trump over Ukraine peace talks? Macron sounds alarm

Following those meetings, Trump said he expected Zelensky and Putin to hold a bilateral meeting before a trilateral meeting that would also include Trump.

Zelensky has said Russia was doing everything it could to prevent a meeting between him and Putin, while Russia says the agenda for such a meeting was not ready.

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