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The Kremlin stated that Vladimir Putin is ready to talk to Volodymyr Zelenskyy if necessary, but questioned Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as Ukrainian president, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
French President Macron (not pictured), Russian President Putin, former German Chancellor Merkel (not pictured) and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, arrive for a meeting on Ukraine at the Elysee Palace in Paris in this 2019 file photo. (IMAGE: AFP)
The Kremlin said Tuesday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was ready to talk to Volodymyr Zelenskyy “if necessary” but repeated its questioning of his legitimacy as Ukrainian president.
“Putin himself said that he would be ready to negotiate with Zelenskyy if necessary but the legal basis of agreements needs discussion considering the reality that Zelenskyy’s legitimacy can be questioned,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The comments from the Kremlin came as top US and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks on resetting their fractured relations, the first such discussions since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Both sides downplayed expectations of a breakthrough in this first high-level meeting between the countries since US President Donald Trump took office.
Still, the very fact the encounter is taking place has triggered concern in Ukraine and Europe following the United States’ recent overtures towards the Kremlin.
At Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, the talks began without visible handshakes, and no statements were made.
A stern-faced US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat across from Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff by his side.
Lavrov was accompanied by senior Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban also attended.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was not invited to the discussions. European leaders met in Paris on Monday for emergency talks on how to respond to the radical pivot by the new Trump administration.
Preparations for a possible summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are also expected to be on the agenda.
Trump is pushing for a swift resolution to the three-year conflict in Ukraine, while Russia sees his outreach as a chance to win concessions.
Zelensky said Kyiv “did not know anything about” the talks in Riyadh, according to Ukrainian news agencies, and that it “cannot recognise any things or any agreements about us without us”.
As the Riyadh meeting got underway, the Kremlin said a lasting settlement in Ukraine would be “impossible” without addressing the wider issue of European security and that Ukraine had the “sovereign right” to join the European Union but that it was opposed to it joining NATO.
“A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
