Zelenskyy says he is ready to meet Putin outside Moscow and Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet with Vladimir Putin, but ruled out Moscow or Kyiv as venues for such a meeting.

"I am ready to meet with Putin. Not in Moscow and not in Kyiv, of course. But if he is ready to meet with me, there are many places for this. We can find such a place in the Middle East, in Europe, in the USA - anywhere," Zelenskyy said in an interview with Italian broadcaster Rai Italia on Thursday.

Zelenskyy welcomed the United States-brokered ceasefire agreement in the Middle East, saying it "will facilitate the resolution of this energy crisis." He congratulated the US on reaching the ceasefire deal involving Iran.

However, Zelenskyy emphasized that support for Ukraine must continue uninterrupted. "In any case, support for Ukraine, including weapons supplies, must continue," he said.

The Ukrainian president acknowledged that trilateral negotiations involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia have been postponed. He attributed the delay to a shift in American priorities toward the Middle East. "The United States was more focused on the Middle East, so the trilateral negotiations with Russia were postponed," Zelenskyy said.

Despite the postponement, Zelenskyy expressed confidence that the negotiation process will resume. "But we will start again," he stated, indicating his belief that discussions will eventually continue.

Zelenskyy reiterated his position on a potential meeting with Putin, stressing the flexibility regarding location. He suggested that venues in the Middle East, Europe, or the United States would be acceptable alternatives to the two capitals currently at war.