Kremlin: Putin-Zelensky meeting possible but must be prepared

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 23, 2026, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin if he wishes, but that any such meeting must be prepared in advance. Peskov described an unprepared Putin-Zelensky meeting as a waste of time and said the Kremlin's position on a possible encounter remains unchanged. He also commented on Kyiv's readiness for peace negotiations and on how Russia views Western and Ukrainian discussions about a ceasefire. A Russian delegate in Vienna separately accused Kyiv of using high-ranking foreign guests as 'human shields.'