Putin says he’s ready to meet with Zelenskyy exclusively in Russia

Vladimir Putin has said that he is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy exclusively in Russia, but believes that it will be "practically impossible" to reach an agreement with the Ukrainian side on key issues.

As reported by Russian media, he said this at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Friday.

"We are ready for a meeting at the highest level. The Ukrainian side wants this meeting and is proposing this meeting. I said: I am ready, please come, we will definitely provide conditions for work and security. A 100% guarantee," Putin said.

He noted that a summit meeting in other countries is not being considered.

"But if they tell us that we want to meet with you, then you go there for this meeting, it seems to me that these are simply excessive requests addressed to us. If they want to meet with us, we are ready. The best place for this is the capital of the Russian Federation, the hero city of Moscow," Putin said.

At the same time, he stated that, in his opinion, reaching an agreement with the Ukrainian side “will be practically impossible on key issues.”

Putin also said that if NATO military contingents appear in Ukraine, they will be legitimate targets for destruction. He is also against the deployment of foreign contingents in Ukraine if agreements on long-term peace are reached.

In addition, Putin wants security guarantees for Russia. "We will respect those security guarantees that, of course, must be developed for both Russia and Ukraine," he said.