Putin invites Zelenskyy for talks in Moscow as Russia bombs Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said he has not ruled out the possibility of meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and invited him to come to Moscow, according to Russian state-owned news outlet Tass.

“If Zelenskyy is ready for a meeting, let him come to Moscow,” Putin said, according to a translation of the remarks issued from China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of World War II.

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Zelenskyy’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions, nor did the White House. 

But any possibility of Zelenskyy traveling to Russia appears highly unlikely given the threats he would face, and the fact that Putin has made clear his chief aim is to oust Zelenskyy from Kyiv. 

Former CIA Moscow Station Chief Dan Hoffman echoed these security concerns and told Fox News Digital, “There’s no way that Zelenskyy should be traveling to Moscow.”

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Zelenskyy has proposed face-to-face meetings with Putin on multiple occasions using a third-party neutral nation like Turkey, though the Kremlin chief has thus far refused to engage directly with the Ukrainian president. 

“Putin invaded Ukraine,” Hoffman said. “[Putin] is doing this to make it appear as if he will negotiate in good faith and try and drive a wedge between Zelenskyy and the United States, as well as Zelenskyy and Europe.”

While European leaders have staunchly backed Zelenskyy in opposition to Putin, Trump’s position has remained more ambiguous since entering office. 

In answering questions by reporters on Tuesday over whether there will be “consequences” if a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is not announced soon, Trump said, “Yeah, there will be.”

It is unclear if Trump will believe Putin is extending a good-faith offer to meet with Zelenskyy or see it as a false attempt at statesmanship as he continues to heavily attack Ukraine.

Check back on this developing story.