Putin Willing to Hold Talks with Zelensky “If Necessary,” Says Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated he is ready to have discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “if necessary,” the Kremlin said. The statement is made while the highest US and Russian diplomats are sitting down in Saudi Arabia today to discuss possible solutions for the Ukraine war.

No Ukrainian Representation at US-Russia Talks

The high-profile summit, which was centered mainly on the Ukraine conflict, has surprisingly omitted Ukrainian ambassadors. This has created fears among Ukrainian leaders, with President Zelensky claiming, “Kyiv cannot recognise any agreements or things discussed about us without us.” Ukraine’s absence at the negotiations has ignited responses from European countries as well as NATO allies, who are concerned at what they perceive to be a change in Washington’s policy towards Moscow.

Zelensky’s Saudi Arabia Visit and Exclusion from Talks

While US and Russian diplomats meet in Riyadh to negotiate the war in Ukraine, President Zelensky will be in Saudi Arabia the next day. Sergiy Nykyforov, the spokesman of Zelensky, clarified that the Ukrainian president would not be meeting any Russian or American representatives on this trip. The “long-planned” trip will also see Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, continuing their official visits to the UAE and Turkey.

Diplomatic Shift and Possible Trump-Putin Summit

The US-Russia negotiations in Riyadh also feature talks regarding the possibility of a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. The mooted summit could ideally open the door to greater cooperation between Washington and Moscow, with both seeking to end the current diplomatic gap.

European leaders were concerned about the negotiations, given the fear of creating a negative precedent for any future negotiations among other countries if Ukraine is neglected. With the war still raging, the geopolitical arena remains in an unpredictable state, with allies watching attentively for developments between the two superpowers.

Hope of Solution: An Initial Step Toward Ceasefire

Putin’s offer to see Zelensky is an indication that the Ukraine war, which has cost so many lives and strained the world economy, can be settled and have a ceasefire. Though the US has been adamant on the requirement of a solution, Russia, pressed by sanctions and the financial burdens of the war, has indicated that it will negotiate. But Russia insists the negotiations cannot be with NATO and European allies, accusing them of prolonging the war.

Russia has long denounced increasing NATO deployments in Eastern Europe and demanded the NATO forces be driven out of the region. Before invading Ukraine on a large scale, Moscow had called for the withdrawal of NATO forces and military equipment from nations that were once under its control during the Cold War.