Russia’s Putin suggested Moscow for Zelensky summit: Sources close to talks

KYIV - Vladimir Putin proposed holding a peace summit with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow, according to three sources familiar with a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russia’s leader.

The discussion between Mr Trump and Mr Putin came during

high-stakes talks in Washington

between Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky and several European leaders that back Ukraine in its fighting against Russia’s invasion.

“Putin mentioned Moscow” during their call on Aug 18, one of the sources told AFP, adding that Mr Zelensky had said “no” in response.

A diplomatic source close to the discussions said that European leaders had told Mr Trump that Mr Putin’s proposal “did not seem like a good idea”.

After the summit in the White House on Aug 18 that included the German, French, Finnish, Italian and UK leaders, Mr Trump said a next step to stopping the fighting now its fourth year would be a face-to-face meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader has said repeatedly in recent weeks that he is prepared to sit down with Mr Putin to end the Russian invasion, which has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions.

Mr Putin told Mr Trump during the call on Aug 18 that he was open to the “idea” of direct talks with Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, according to state media.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Aug 19 that any meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents would have to be prepared “very thoroughly”.

Switzerland, meanwhile, had said earlier that it would grant Mr Putin immunity if he came to the country for talks on peace in Ukraine, despite the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant.

Mr Trump met with Mr Putin

last week in the northern US state of Alaska, ending a years-long Western policy of isolating Mr Putin.

The US leader walked away from the meeting without any guarantees of peace from the Russian president. AFP