Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is ready to hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky if he comes to Moscow. Putin added that it remains to be seen whether such a meeting would make sense, The Straits Times reported.

Zelensky is insisting on a meeting with Putin to discuss the terms of a possible agreement. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who is trying to mediate a peaceful settlement of the conflict, said he wants the two leaders to meet.

Speaking in China at the end of his visit there, Putin said he had always been open to meeting Zelensky, but reiterated the Kremlin's oft-stated position that such a meeting must be well prepared and lead to concrete results. 

"As for a meeting with Zelensky, I have never ruled out the possibility of such a meeting. But does it make sense? We'll see," said the Russian president.

He added that, in his opinion, Ukraine must lift martial law, hold elections, and organize a referendum on territorial issues if it wants to make progress. | BGNES