Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that he was ready to hold talks with Volodymyr Zelensky if the Ukrainian president came to Moscow, but said it remained to be seen whether such a meeting was worthwhile.
Zelenskiy has been pressing to meet Putin to discuss the terms of a possible deal, and US President Donald Trump, who has been trying to broker a peace settlement, has said he wants the two leaders to meet.
Speaking in China at the end of a visit there, Putin said he had always been open to meeting Zelensky but reiterated the Kremlin's oft-repeated stance that such a meeting had to be well prepared in advance and lead to tangible results.
"As for a meeting with Zelensky, I have never ruled out the possibility of such a meeting. But is there any point? Let's see," said Putin.
The Russian leader said that in his view Ukraine needed to cancel martial law, hold elections, and hold a referendum about territorial questions if progress was to be made.
Putin's offer of leaders meeting in Moscow unacceptable, Ukraine says
Putin's proposal to meet with Zelensky in Moscow is unacceptable, the Kyiv government said on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that at least seven countries, including Austria, the Vatican, Switzerland, and three Gulf states, were ready to host the meeting.
"These are serious proposals and President Zelensky is ready for such a meeting at any point in time," he said on X. "Yet, Putin continues to mess around with everyone by making knowingly unacceptable proposals."
Russia claimed to have annexed four Ukrainian regions in 2022, a claim Kyiv and most Western countries rejected as an attempted illegal land grab backed by a colonial-style war of conquest.
Putin said on Wednesday that Russia was ready "if necessary" to raise the level of its negotiators in talks with Ukraine, declining to elaborate further.
Putin said he was satisfied with the work of the negotiators and personally with the head of the Russian delegation, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky.
Putin said on Wednesday that an invitation was "on the table" for US President Donald Trump to visit Russia, but there were no preparations for such a trip at the moment.
Putin issued the invitation when he met Trump in Alaska last month, wrapping up their joint press appearance by saying, in English, "next time in Moscow."
Putin says Witkoff accurately conveys Russian views to US administration
He added that it was not for him to judge the work of US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but last month's summit with Trump in Alaska showed that Witkoff had conveyed Russia's views accurately to the US administration.
Critics of Witkoff say the real estate billionaire has been way out of his depth at a series of meetings with Putin this year, and accuse him of sowing confusion about the Kremlin's position in his subsequent briefings to Trump and US allies.
Putin also said that Trump had a sense of humor for suggesting that Putin had conspired with China's Xi Jinping and North Korea's Kim Jong Un against the United States.
Putin said that all countries with which Russia held talks in China supported the Russia-US summit in Alaska and had expressed hopes that the talks could help end the war in Ukraine.
Trump said on Tuesday he was "very disappointed" with Putin, and suggested in a post on Truth Social that Xi, Putin and Kim were conspiring against the United States.
Putin says no preparations at the moment for a Trump visit to Russia
Putin also added that an invitation was "on the table" for Trump to visit Russia, but there were no preparations for such a trip at the moment.
Putin issued the invitation when he met Trump in Alaska last month, wrapping up their joint press appearance by saying, in English, "next time in Moscow."