Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that he was open to a trilateral peace initiative involving US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only if the talks were held in Moscow.
Speaking in Beijing after attending a grand military parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Putin said Russia would carry on fighting in Ukraine if a peace deal could not be reached.
"Donald (Trump) asked me for such a meeting, I said: 'Yes, it's possible, let Zelenskyy come to Moscow'," Putin told reporters, including AFP, in Beijing.
The Kremlin chief also used the opportunity to cast doubt on Zelenskyy’s legitimacy, repeatedly referring to himself as the “current head of the Ukrainian administration.”
Putin told reporters that Moscow was prepared to elevate the level of its delegation for any potential negotiations, without naming who might lead such talks.
"If it will be necessary to raise the level of delegations, we are ready for it," the Russian leader added.
At the same time, he made clear that Russia would not scale back its military offensive unless progress was achieved, saying, "Let's see how the situation develops. If not, then we will have to resolve all our tasks militarily.”
Despite calling the conflict a long and grinding one, now stretching into its fourth year, he added there was "light at the end of the tunnel.”
Trump’s flurry of diplomacy
Putin’s comments come after months of intensified diplomacy by Trump, who has sought to position himself as a mediator capable of brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Last month, Trump met separately with both Putin and Zelenskyy in efforts to revive negotiations that have stalled for more than a year.
Progress has been elusive, with neither Moscow nor Kyiv willing to concede on critical issues — particularly territorial control over regions Russia claims to have annexed.
A diplomatic source told AFP in August that Zelenskyy had already rejected an initiative to hold talks in Moscow, viewing it as a trap designed to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Ukraine calls Putin's invitation as cynical
Later on Putin’s invitation for Zelenskyy to travel to Moscow, Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga dismissed the idea outright, calling it a cynical ploy.
"Putin continues to mess around with everyone by making knowingly unacceptable proposals," Sybiga said, adding that at least seven countries had made genuine offers to host such a meeting
He noted that at least seven countries had made genuine offers to host peace talks, underscoring Kyiv’s willingness to negotiate in neutral venues but not on Russia’s terms.
Russia insists on recognition of annexed territories
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow still expects international recognition of Ukrainian territories it has annexed and now controls.
Russia claims five regions — Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — along with Crimea, which it seized in 2014.
"In order for a durable peace, the new territorial realities that arose... must be recognised and formalised in accordance with international law," Lavrov said in remarks released by Moscow.
Kyiv rejects Moscow’s terms, blasts ‘old ultimatums’
Ukraine swiftly rejected Moscow’s conditions, accusing Russia of rehashing ultimatums that Kyiv has long refused.
"Russia has not changed its aggressive goals and shows no signs of readiness for meaningful negotiations," Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said.
"It's time to hit the Russian war machine with severe new sanctions and sober Moscow up," Sybiga added.
Even as Putin spoke of diplomacy in Beijing, heavy fighting raged across Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported that Russia launched over 500 drones in a single day, targeting infrastructure across multiple regions, killing nine civilians.