Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected Putin’s invite to Moscow for a negotiation; he calls the location unrealistic and a sign that Russia is not ready for a resolution.

The Ukrainian leader said in an interview with US television channel ABC News, “I can’t go to the capital of this terrorist” because Ukraine is “under missile attacks, under fire every day.

“(Putin) can come to Kyiv,” Zelensky said in response.

US President Donald Trump has been pushing for face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, describing such a meeting as a crucial step toward ending the war. He disclosed that arranging a bilateral or even trilateral dialogue was one of the main goals of his summit with Putin in Alaska last month.

Trump later hinted that the talks could only happen after Zelenskyy’s planned visit to Washington, where he is expected to consult with European leaders. But Moscow has reportedly placed additional conditions on the table, delaying any progress while at the same time intensifying shelling across Ukrainian cities.

This week, Putin declared that he was “ready” to meet Zelenskyy — but only in Moscow. On Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarified that the Ukrainian leader had been invited to Russia’s capital “to talk, not to capitulate.”

Zelenskyy, speaking a day earlier in Paris after a summit of the so-called “coalition of the resolute,” dismissed Moscow’s invitation with a pointed remark. “I believe that if you want the meeting not to take place, you should invite me to Moscow,” he said. Still, he acknowledged that the fact Russia had mentioned any personal meeting at all was already “an accomplishment on its own.”

Meanwhile, Trump, in an interview with CBS News, insisted that the meeting would eventually happen, though without offering a clear timeline. “Something will happen, but they are not ready yet … We’re going to do it,” he said.

‘Turning Diplomacy into an Outright Farce’

On Saturday, Zelenskyy took to social media to highlight the intensity of Russia’s ongoing strikes. He revealed that in just the first five days of September, Russia had launched over 1,300 drones, nearly 900 guided bombs, and about 50 different missiles at Ukraine, targeting 14 regions across the country.

Accusing Russia of deliberately trying to prolong the war and “turn diplomacy into a blatant farce,” Zelenskyy urged for a unified international response. “And there should be a common response to this: to shelling and destruction, to ignoring diplomatic efforts and civilised dialogue,” he wrote.

The Ukrainian president also renewed calls on his country’s allies to strengthen sanctions on Moscow, boost arms supplies to Kyiv, and impose effective restrictions on Russian oil and gas trade, warning that only decisive action could counter Russia’s ongoing aggression.