Putin Is Ready to Speak with Zelenskyy by Phone — Kremlin Statement

On November 1, Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the Russian dictator was allegedly ready to take a phone call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the same time, he once again invited the Ukrainian leader to come to Moscow for talks.

 

Yuri Ushakov claims that Putin has supposedly never refused to speak with Zelenskyy. According to him, if the Ukrainian president calls, the Russian leader will answer. “I think he’ll answer, of course. Putin has never once refused to talk,” said the Russian dictator’s aide.

Ushakov also reiterated the Kremlin’s position regarding a possible venue for the talks. He stated that Zelenskyy could come to Moscow if he truly wants to speak with Putin. “He’s sending signals through various channels. If he wants to talk so badly, let him come,” Ushakov said.

Thus, the Kremlin stated that Putin is ready for a phone call, but at the same time reiterated the proposal to hold negotiations in Moscow. Ushakov’s comments do not mention an agreed-upon date or time for a possible call, nor do they refer to any specific arrangements regarding the talks. The statement by Putin’s aide does not in itself indicate that a conversation between the presidents is already being arranged or that the parties have agreed to a meeting. Ushakov made these remarks in comments to Russian media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the leaders of Finland and Norway to convey certain messages to Vladimir Putin during their phone calls. These contacts with the Russian side were preliminarily coordinated with Kyiv.

As a reminder, Putin has no intention of giving up his occupation of Donbas, according to Reuters.
 

Donald Tusk assessed the results of the conversations between the leaders of Norway and Finland and Putin.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the U.S. and Russia will not be able to agree on ending the war without Ukraine’s participation. He emphasized that European countries must also be at the negotiating table, as the security of the entire continent will depend on the future agreement. Merz made these remarks on October 27 during a speech in Singapore.