Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that he is ready to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in any third country, but only to finalize a peace agreement to end the ongoing four-year war.
At a press conference in Moscow, Putin spoke about an earlier meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, during which he said he "heard once again" that Zelenskyy is ready to hold a meeting with him.
Saying that he never refused such a meeting, Putin reaffirmed his proposal to meet in the Russian capital.
“It is possible to meet in a third country, but only if final agreements have been reached on a peace treaty,” Putin said, arguing that such an agreement must be “designed for a long-term historical perspective.”
Saying that he thinks the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is “coming to an end,” Putin accused Western politicians of trying to "escalate confrontation" with Moscow.
Putin also spoke about the ceasefire and 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange with Ukraine brokered by US President Donald Trump, saying Russia immediately supported the proposal.
"And we hope that in this case, the Ukrainian side will respond to the US president's proposal. Unfortunately, we have not received any proposals so far," he added.
He said Russia proposed a 500-for-500 prisoner swap to Ukraine prior to Trump's proposal, adding: "The initial reaction was that we need to look closely, maybe not all 500, maybe 200, and then they completely disappeared from the radar and said outright that they were not ready for this exchange. They didn't want it."
Putin also said the US is "sincerely striving" to resolve the ongoing war, but that this is primarily a matter between the two countries.
On Friday, Trump said on his Truth Social media platform about the current three-day truce between Russia and Ukraine: “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War. Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day.”
Armenia-EU ties
Putin also spoke about the intention of Armenia -- a former Soviet republic -- to join the EU, saying that the topic requires "special consideration" and that he has discussed this issue with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan "more than once."
"And we don't see anything special here. In fact, and he will confirm this, I've already told him several times, and I can repeat it publicly now: we will support everything that benefits the Armenian people.
"We have had a special relationship with the Armenian people for centuries, and if a particular decision benefits the Armenian people, then go ahead, we won't object. But, of course, we must keep in mind certain circumstances that are important both for us and for our partners," Putin said.
Putin argued that Armenia receives significant advantages as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) -- a Russian-led group -- and that, in his opinion, Yerevan should decide "as soon as possible" on whether to join the EU or to remain within the EAEU.
"It's none of our business, but in principle, it would be entirely logical to hold a referendum and ask Armenian citizens what their choice would be," Putin said.
He stated that they would then "draw the appropriate conclusions" and pursue what he described as a "gentle, intelligent, and mutually beneficial 'divorce'."
Putin also said Armenia's EU plans could be discussed at the EAEU summit in Kazakhstan later this month.
The EAEU includes several Eurasian states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
Armenia and the EU have sought closer ties in recent years. Last March, the Armenian parliament passed a bill to initiate its EU accession process, which was signed by President Vahagn Khachaturyan in April.
Russia argues that Armenia’s initiation of discussions on EU accession signals a move toward withdrawing from the EAEU.
