Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could come to Moscow if he is willing to meet with Putin, claiming that Russia would guarantee his safety.
Ushakov’s comments on potential peace talks were published on Wednesday, Jan. 28, by Russian propagandist and Rossiya TV journalist Pavel Zarubin.
Commenting on remarks by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha about Zelensky’s readiness to meet with Putin, Ushakov said the issue was “not new” for the Kremlin.
According to Ushakov, a possible meeting with Zelensky had been discussed several times during telephone conversations with US President Donald Trump. He claimed that Russia “has never refused and is not refusing” this format of peace talks.
“The main thing is that these contacts are well prepared and focused on achieving specific positive results,” Ushakov said, adding that Putin had repeatedly stated in conversations with journalists that if Zelensky is ready for a meeting, Russia would invite him to Moscow and guarantee his security and the necessary working conditions.
Sybiha said in an interview with European Pravda released on Jan. 27 that Zelensky is ready to meet with Putin.
He told European Pravda that control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and territorial issues remain unresolved in efforts to end the war. He added that resolving these questions is precisely why Zelensky is ready to meet with Putin, while stressing that Russia “continues to be an obstacle” to reaching a settlement.
The comments follow the first direct Ukraine-Russia talks held under a US-led peace initiative last week. The negotiations included two days of closed-door trilateral discussions between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Abu Dhabi.
A third round of trilateral talks is expected to continue there this week, according to multiple media reports citing sources.
Zelensky described the talks as “constructive,” while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there was still “significant work ahead.” He added that the atmosphere was far from friendly, noting that this was hardly possible at the current stage.
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Sybiha said negotiations also focused extensively on the parameters of a potential ceasefire and on mechanisms for monitoring or verifying it.
Commenting on how the current talks differ from previous rounds, Sybiha said the negotiations remain very complex but noted a qualitative change in the Russian delegation.
He said the participants were different this time and that the discussions were more focused, with no pseudo-historical lectures.
Trump also offered a positive assessment of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, telling journalists that “very good things are happening” in relations between Kyiv and Moscow.
Notably, in late August 2025, Putin reportedly offered to host peace talks with Zelensky in Moscow during a phone call with Trump.
According to BFMTV, an anonymous source told AFP that Putin had “mentioned” Moscow as a possible venue during the call. Zelensky, who was at the White House at the time along with several European leaders, was said to have rejected the idea.
Speaking later on French broadcaster BFI, President Emmanuel Macron said the proposed summit should instead be held in a neutral country, suggesting Switzerland – specifically Geneva – or another location.
Moscow, however, was seen as unlikely to accept such an arrangement.
Switzerland is a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023 over the unlawful deportation and transfer of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, a war crime under international law.
Despite this, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said Switzerland was “more than ready” to host trilateral talks.
He noted that Putin could be granted temporary immunity from arrest if he were to visit Switzerland specifically for peace negotiations. Cassis added that he had already conveyed this proposal to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Separately, Sky News reported that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Trump agreed that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky should take place within the following two weeks. Merz described the moment as potentially decisive for Ukraine, while also expressing skepticism that Putin would actually attend.
No such meeting ultimately took place, and Putin and Zelensky have not met since 2019.
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