Putin says he’s ready to meet Zelenskyy at final stage of peace talks

Putin said this during a press conference, fragments of which were published by the Russian propaganda agency TASS.

The Russian leader said that his meeting with Zelenskyy was possible at the final stage of negotiations to “put an end to it.” But he reiterated the alleged illegitimacy of the Ukrainian president.

"I'm ready to meet with anyone, including Zelenskyy. If the Ukrainian state trusts someone to negotiate, that's fine, let it be Zelenskyy. That’s not the issue. The real issue is — who will sign the document?" Putin said.

He emphasized that this moment is key for Russia.

“The documents must be signed by the legitimate authorities of Ukraine, otherwise they will be thrown in the trash,” Putin added.

The Kremlin leader also said that the Russian delegation is ready to meet with the Ukrainian delegation for talks after June 22. He threatened that if no agreement is reached during the talks in Istanbul, the situation for Ukraine will change for the worse.

• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is possible, but only as a "result of work" following the achievement of agreements.