Kremlin says Putin could answer a phone call from Zelensky
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov says Russian President Vladimir Putin might pick up if Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called. Kyiv says Zelensky is ready for an in-person meeting with Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin could answer a phone call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov. He made the remark to the outlet Vesti, amid discussion of possible talks between the two leaders while Russia's war in Ukraine continues.
"I think he will, of course, answer. Putin has never refused talks," Ushakov said.
Kyiv's position
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Zelensky is ready to meet Putin in person. According to the minister, such a conversation could address the most difficult and sensitive issues, above all the question of territory.
Sybiha stressed that Kyiv regards a possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin as an essential precondition for further progress. "We want this meeting and we are ready for it," he said.
Putin's recent contacts with European leaders
On 27 October, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke with Putin by phone to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. It was Putin's first direct contact with European leaders who support Ukraine since his phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2025.
Citing a source close to the Kremlin, the Reuters agency reported that in the conversation with Stubb and Støre, Putin rejected any compromise on the question of Donbas.
