The Russian president has said that it is likely that he will meet with Vladimir Zelensky as soon as the final agreement is reached
Victory Day celebrations across Russia and around the world ended on May 9, when President Vladimir Putin concluded a series of meetings with foreign leaders who arrived in Moscow and spoke to journalists about the Ukraine conflict, Russia-China relations, and other international issues.
“I think that the issue is towards the end of the conflict in Ukraine,” the Russian leader saw while answering questions from journalists. He also did not rule out the possibility of a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky in a third country once a final agreement on a settlement is reached.
Here are the highlights from Putin’s remarks:
Ukraine has yet to respond to Trump’s POW exchange plan
On May 5, Moscow sent Kiev a list of 500 Ukrainian prisoners of war and proposed an exchange, Putin said.
“We immediately supported it,” Putin said, referring to the proposal of US President Donald Trump. According to the Russian president, Ukraine said it needed time to go through the list and later said it was “not ready” in exchange. So far, there has been no action from the Ukrainian side.
Russia has also accused Kiev of rejecting another major prisoner swap earlier on May 9.
Putin and Trump discussed a ceasefire on Victory Day
During his last phone call with Donald Trump at the end of April, the two leaders talked about the May 9 celebrations, Putin revealed. Trump reportedly remembered the joint fight against Nazism.
Putin briefed Trump on Russia’s plan to declare a ceasefire on May 8 and 9. “President Trump endorsed,” Putin said. Russia publicly announced the agreement, but did not receive an immediate response from Ukraine. Kiev, however, later proposed a May 6 ceasefire instead, the Russian leader stressed.
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