Russian President Vladimir Putin dropped a major hint on Saturday. He said he is ready to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in a third country to fully end the ongoing war with Ukraine. This is the first time Putin has raised the possibility of a meeting outside Russia. Speaking to the media after the Victory Day parade, Putin made it clear that he has never ruled out talks with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Putin set a condition for meeting
Putin set an important condition for this meeting. He stated that a meeting in a third country could only take place after a complete and long-lasting peace agreement was reached between the two countries. According to Russian President, this meeting would be solely for signing the agreement, not for negotiations. He added that if the Ukrainian side wished to meet, they could also come to Moscow. Russian President clarified that the meeting should be the final step toward any agreement, not the beginning of negotiations.
Russian president also says he is willing to meet Zelenskyy in a third country if a long-term peace deal is reached. https://t.co/kUivB8SMky
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 10, 2026Russian President gave example of Minsk agreements
The Russian president insisted that initial discussions should be conducted by experts. Citing the example of the old Minsk agreements, he said such discussions often lasted for hours but yielded no results. The Minsk agreements were signed in Belarus in 2014 and 2015. They were intended to stop violence in Ukraine’s Donbas region, but they failed. This time, Putin wants experts to clarify everything in advance, so that the president can only attend ceremonies or sign agreements.
Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022 and is now in its fifth year. Previously, in September 2025, Putin had expressed a desire to meet with Zelensky after his visit to China. He had then stated that the meeting could take place in Moscow, provided it was within Ukraine’s constitutional framework and produced concrete results. Now, Putin’s suggestion to meet outside Russia could open a new path towards peace.
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Edited by: Bhoomi Goyal
