Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected an offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow for diplomatic talks aimed at ending the war between the two countries. With negotiations showing little progress, and following the September 4 announcement that 26 countries supporting Kyiv are prepared to deploy forces in Ukraine—by land, sea, and air—to ensure its security, Putin issued a warning that these forces would be targeted “no matter who they are.”
Zelensky responded by refusing Putin’s invitation and instead called on the Russian president to come to Kyiv. While Ukraine seeks security guarantees through the deployment of European forces on its territory, Russia is attempting to thwart these efforts and has threatened to strike any foreign troops stationed there.
Speaking to ABC News, Zelensky stated, “Putin can come to Kyiv. I cannot go to Moscow while my country is under daily missile attacks. I cannot go to the capital of a terrorist.”
Putin had announced on September 3 his willingness to host Zelensky in Moscow for talks.
Zelensky accused Putin of making unacceptable offers designed to obstruct the diplomatic process. He added, “We cannot trust Putin. He’s playing games, and now he’s trying to play with the United States as well.”
On September 4, French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelensky confirmed that 26 countries had committed to deploying forces to safeguard Ukraine’s security by land, sea, and air. This followed a meeting of 35 nations supporting Kyiv, where discussions focused on potential guarantees for Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement with Russia be reached.
In response, Putin threatened on Friday to target any foreign forces deployed in Ukraine. He said, “If forces are deployed—any forces—especially now while battles are ongoing, we will consider them legitimate targets.”
Speaking at the 10th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Putin called for security guarantees to include both Russia and Ukraine, affirming that Moscow would respect such guarantees.
