Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “if necessary” to end the ongoing war, the Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday.
On the same day, senior U.S. and Russian officials met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first time to discuss ending the three-year-long war in Ukraine. Amid this, the Kremlin stated that President Putin is open to negotiations with Zelensky.
“The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, is prepared to speak with Zelensky ‘if necessary,'” said the Kremlin. However, it also raised questions about Zelensky’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s president.
Speaking to journalists, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “Putin himself has stated that he would be willing to hold talks with Zelensky if necessary. However, discussions are needed to address the legal basis of any agreement, considering the questions surrounding Zelensky’s legitimacy.”
Meanwhile, the high-level meeting in Riyadh is focused on ending the Ukraine-Russia war and restoring U.S.-Russia relations. The meeting could also pave the way for a bilateral summit between President Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Following a phone conversation between Putin and Trump last week, the Riyadh meeting was scheduled to accelerate peace talks. However, Ukraine was not invited to the discussions, prompting President Zelensky to declare that Kyiv would not accept any peace deal made without its participation.
“As a sovereign nation, we will not accept any agreement reached without our involvement,” Zelensky stated.
The meeting in Riyadh includes key figures such as Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
Following their phone discussion last Wednesday, Trump announced that he and Putin would begin negotiations for an immediate end to the Ukraine war. Their conversation also covered topics including the Middle East crisis, energy resources, the U.S. dollar, and artificial intelligence.