Zelensky said, “[President Donald] Trump’s team, my team, the Europeans, including [French President Emmanuel] Macron and other leaders, and the Turkish president… all of us, all our teams, proposed holding a meeting in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or in neutral Europe like Austria and Switzerland. So we said, even if you want a place like Kazakhstan.” Trump previously announced plans for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, after which a trilateral meeting with Trump’s participation might be held. During a phone call, Putin and Trump expressed their support for continuing direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. In this regard, the idea of studying the possibility of raising the level of representation of the Ukrainian and Russian sides was discussed. In early September, Putin stated that if Zelensky was ready to meet, he could come to Moscow. Zelensky rejected the offer, while at the same time confirming his readiness to meet “in any form.” In this context, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin invited Zelensky to Moscow for talks, not to accept surrender.
