Zelensky Ready to Meet Putin Anywhere Except Moscow, Says Melnyk
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN Andriy Melnyk said President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the first opportunity anywhere except Moscow. Melnyk suggested Florida during the December G20 summit as a possible venue. Russia, meanwhile, said Putin would meet Zelensky only in Moscow.
Key points
- Andriy Melnyk made the statement at a UN Security Council meeting on November 9
- Melnyk said Zelensky is willing to meet Putin anywhere except Moscow
- Possible venues mentioned included Florida during the December G20 summit and, if needed, Antarctica
- Melnyk said a political breakthrough is unlikely without a highest-level summit
- Russia said Putin would meet Zelensky exclusively in Moscow
- Ukraine’s delegation at the reported Abu Dhabi talks was to include Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov, Serhiy Kyslytsia, Vadym Skibitskyi and Davyd Arakhamia
- The Abu Dhabi talks were scheduled for November 10–11
Why it matters
Melnyk’s statement clarifies Ukraine’s position on a possible direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin and the conditions regarding its location. It also underlines that Ukraine sees such a summit as necessary for a political breakthrough, while Russia’s stated insistence on Moscow reveals a major obstacle to organizing the meeting.
What happened
During a UN Security Council meeting on November 9, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN Andriy Melnyk said Zelensky was ready to meet Putin at the first opportunity anywhere except Moscow. He named Florida during the December G20 summit as a possible venue and said Antarctica could be considered if necessary. Melnyk nevertheless warned that negotiations are unlikely to produce a political breakthrough without a highest-level summit. Ukrainian officials had previously said Zelensky was ready to discuss sensitive topics, including territorial issues, and would consider a meeting in Turkey if it could be organized.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian accounts centered on Zelensky’s readiness to meet Putin at the first opportunity outside Moscow while emphasizing the difficulty of achieving a political breakthrough without a summit involving the most senior leaders. They also highlighted Ukraine’s focus on difficult territorial negotiations, humanitarian issues and the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war during the Abu Dhabi talks.
Where reporting differs
Ukraine’s position allows a meeting anywhere except Moscow, while Russian statements said Putin would meet Zelensky exclusively in Moscow and would provide the conditions and security for the meeting.
Background
Ahead of the reported November 10–11 talks in Abu Dhabi, Ukrainian officials discussed the possibility of a direct Zelensky-Putin meeting and the humanitarian priorities of the negotiations. Ukraine’s delegation was to include Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov, Serhiy Kyslytsia, Vadym Skibitskyi and Davyd Arakhamia, while the Russian side was to be represented by Sergei Ryabkov, Yuri Zhigarlovsky, Mikhail Galuzin and Igor Kostyukov. The reported talks were to be the first involving US mediators since February, when the negotiation process was halted because of the war in Iran.