Zelenskyy rejects Moscow summit invite, saying he would only visit on a missile

Confrontation on the assembly sidelines

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russian demands to hold bilateral negotiations in Moscow, responding sharply to Russian state media during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Russian state television correspondent Valentin Bogdanov repeatedly questioned Zelenskyy as he walked toward the assembly hall, asking when he intended to travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy replied in Russian that he would only travel there on a missile, adding an expletive before entering the building. Video recordings of the exchange circulated widely across Ukrainian and Russian social media on Wednesday. During his formal address to the assembly, Zelenskyy denounced Putin and urged Western allies to enact tougher sanctions against Moscow to cut off the financial resources sustaining the invasion.

Kremlin response and diplomatic reactions

Moscow responded quickly to the Ukrainian president's remarks outside the assembly. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov maintained that the comment did not amount to a formal rejection of bilateral discussions in the Russian capital.

Zelensky has not ruled out a visit to Moscow. At least, I have not heard that.

Peskov stated that Zelenskyy was delivering numerous public statements on the sidelines of the New York gathering. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova delivered a sharper reaction during an interview with the Russian network Vesti.

Judging by the response of the leader of the Kyiv regime to Bogdanov's question, one can conclude that Zelensky has completely lost his mind.

Zakharova, attending the assembly as part of the Russian delegation, also claimed that Zelenskyy feared the fate of False Dmitry, whose ashes were fired from a cannon toward Poland.

Impasse over negotiation venues

The clash over location follows years of stalled bilateral diplomacy between the two leaders. Zelenskyy and Putin have not met in person since December 2019 in Paris, when they participated in a four-party summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel regarding the conflict in the Donbas region. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, direct head-of-state meetings have remained frozen. Putin has insisted that any bilateral negotiation must take place in Moscow, offering security guarantees for the visit. Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected Moscow and Belarus as acceptable locations, arguing that Kyiv cannot negotiate on the territory of an attacking state or its ally. On 30 January, Zelenskyy reiterated that a meeting in Moscow was impossible and publicly challenged Putin to travel to Kyiv instead.

Multilateral talks and G20 summit prospects

Diplomatic discussions in New York also focused on potential multilateral avenues to address the war. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the assembly to review efforts toward resolving the conflict, though neither side reported concrete decisions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York, after which Lavrov stated that Russia would not agree to a pause in the fighting. Peskov reiterated that Moscow seeks a lasting peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire. Attention has also turned to the Group of 20 summit scheduled for December in Miami, Florida. Zelenskyy previously expressed readiness on 12 September to meet Putin at the Florida summit, and Rubio confirmed that Washington invited Putin to attend. Peskov noted that Russia appreciates the invitation, but stated that Moscow has not yet decided whether Putin will participate.