Zelenskyy Answered The Question Of Whether He Would Sit Down At The Negotiating Table With Putin

• 21.09.2026, 21:37

The prospect of such a meeting does not evoke positive feelings in the Ukrainian president.

Ukraine is open to direct talks with Russia at the leadership level. The key issue should be a concrete outcome of the meeting.

This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with CBC News.

Zelenskyy answered a question about whether he was willing to personally sit down at the negotiating table with Putin. According to the president, the very prospect of such a meeting does not evoke positive feelings in him, but he is willing to consider it if it serves a practical purpose.

“For me, this is normal, although it’s not what I want and it’s definitely not the best day of my life—I’d rather be with my family,” the head of state said.

At the same time, Zelenskyy emphasized that he considers Putin an enemy of Ukraine and stated that he knows Putin’s true goal.

“He is an enemy, and I know his true goal: to occupy us if we are not strong enough or if there are no security guarantees,” said the Ukrainian president.

According to Zelenskyy, security guarantees are one of the key issues in this context. For him, they mean the certainty that Russia will not be able to reoccupy Ukraine.

Thus, the president did not rule out the possibility of a personal conversation with Putin. At the same time, Zelenskyy made it clear that such a meeting must be linked to a concrete outcome and real security guarantees for Ukraine.