Putin ready to meet Trump and Zelensky, but only on his terms
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Vladimir Putin is ready to meet with Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, but only on his own terms. Peskov claimed no preconditions exist for a Trump meeting and that a Zelensky meeting must occur in Moscow. Peskov reiterated Putin's June 2024 demands, including Ukrainian troop withdrawal from four regions, "demilitarization," and "denazification," which analysts say means replacing Ukrainian authorities with pro-Russian ones. Ukraine must also abandon NATO membership prospects. On September 22, Zelensky met Trump in New York and reiterated readiness for direct talks with Putin. Trump said Putin wants the war to end. Bloomberg reported Putin may skip the December G20 summit in the US.