By Micah Jonah
January 30, 2026
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has openly invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kyiv for direct peace talks, daring the Russian leader to come “if he dares,” amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the prolonged war between both countries.
Zelenskyy made the statement on Friday while addressing journalists, stressing that he was ready to meet Putin in any format but ruled out travelling to Moscow or Belarus. He described such locations as unacceptable, citing Russia’s role as the aggressor in the conflict and Belarus’ alleged support for Moscow’s military actions.
According to Ukrainian media outlet RBC Ukraine, the President said meeting Putin in Moscow would be “impossible,” adding that inviting the Russian leader to Kyiv was a more appropriate option under the circumstances.
The Kremlin had earlier disclosed that it invited Zelenskyy to Moscow for peace talks but claimed it received no response from Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia held United States mediated discussions in Abu Dhabi last week, with another round of talks tentatively scheduled for Sunday. However, Reuters reported that Zelenskyy noted the date and venue could still change due to the evolving situation involving the United States and Iran.
Zelenskyy said it was crucial that all parties involved in previous agreements be present at the negotiations to ensure meaningful progress.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that Putin had agreed to his request to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for one week amid extreme winter conditions. The Kremlin later confirmed the agreement, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating that Putin had “of course” accepted the proposal.
In a post on social media platform X, Zelenskyy said the issue of a ceasefire on energy facilities was discussed during the talks and expressed hope that the agreement would be honoured. He noted that de escalation steps were necessary for real progress toward ending the war.
Despite the diplomatic moves, key obstacles remain, including Russia’s demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region and disagreements over the possible deployment of international peacekeepers in Ukraine after the conflict.
