Ukraine Rejects Russian Invitation for Presidential Meeting in Moscow

Ukrainian officials have dismissed a proposal from Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit Moscow for negotiations, labeling the location unacceptable due to Russia's status as an aggressor state.

Key points

• Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov suggested the meeting following the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow.
• Serhiy Leshchenko, an advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated that a meeting in the capital of the aggressor nation is impossible.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously expressed willingness to hold peace talks in any safe country, excluding Russia and Belarus.
• Journalist Vitaliy Portnikov described the Ukrainian government's earlier decree allowing a parade in Moscow as a symbolic test of Russian political insecurity.

Why it matters

The rejection underscores the ongoing diplomatic impasse between Kyiv and Moscow, highlighting Ukraine's refusal to engage in negotiations on Russian territory while the war continues.