Putin: Ready to meet with Zelensky to sign agreement that ends war

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Ukraine conflict is coming to an end, announcing his readiness to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow or in a third country, provided that the meeting is dedicated to the signing of a final long-term peace agreement, not to new negotiations.

In remarks to reporters on the sidelines of the Kremlin's Victory Day events on Sunday, May 10, Putin explained that he does not proactively propose the meeting, but does not reject it, saying: "Whoever wants to meet, let him come to Moscow."

The Russian president added that he did not receive a "special message" from Zelensky through Slovak Prime Minister Robert Vitsov, but he heard again that the Ukrainian side is ready to hold a personal meeting, stressing that Moscow has not rejected this meeting at any time. "I am not proposing this meeting, but if anyone suggests it, let him come. Whoever wants to meet, let him come to Moscow, and we will meet."

Putin stressed that any possible meeting should come at the end of the negotiation process, not at the beginning of it, and that its goal should be to reach "a lasting peace treaty that extends to a long historical horizon."

He stressed that the meeting, if it occurs, will be dedicated to signing the agreement or confirming it definitively, describing this as "an end point of the negotiation process and not part of it."

Ukraine conflict is coming to an end

  The Russian president said the  Ukraine conflict was coming to an end, noting that the West had "fallen into a predicament from which it cannot get out" after failing to achieve a "crushing defeat" for Russia.

 Putin said that Western politicians were waiting for "the collapse of the Russian state in a few months", but that did not happen, adding that some European powers "are beginning to realize the essence of current events", expressing hope that these powers will return to power or reach it with the support of the majority of European countries.

Putin accused the EU of contributing to the current crisis by trying to link Kyiv to the European system, recalling that Moscow had previously warned Europeans about the difference in plant health standards between Russia and the EU, and that the entry of European products into the Russian market through Ukraine would have led to the closure of the border.

He noted that then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych decided to review the case after assessing the potential economic damage, which later led to "a government coup, the Crimean issue, the position of southeastern Ukraine, and hostilities."

Vitsu conveys message from Zelensky to Putin

 Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Vitsov , who arrived in Moscow to take part in Victory Day celebrations, announced that he was carrying a message from Zelensky to Putin, in the first such contact between the two sides since the conflict began.

The Slovak Foreign Ministry confirmed that the visit came within the framework of "diplomatic mediation" aimed at bringing the two sides closer together.

 Behind the scenes, it was revealed  that Vetsov met with Zelensky in the Armenian capital Yerevan, on the sidelines of the European Political Group summit, and according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmytro Litvin, Zelensky informed the Slovak Prime Minister of Kyiv's readiness to hold a direct meeting with Putin according to the formula of "seriousness and compromise", which constituted the content of the message that Vitsu carried to Moscow.

Vetsov's visit to Moscow is remarkably symbolic, as he is the only European leader from the European Union and NATO countries to defiance Western criticism and sanctions imposed on Russia for the occasion. The Slovak delegation also faced major logistical hurdles, after Poland and the Baltic states banned the passage of the government plane in its airspace, forcing it to completely change its route through Germany and the Scandinavian countries to reach Moscow.