Trump Welcomes Zelensky-Putin Direct Talks as Kremlin Says Zelensky Can Visit Moscow

U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington welcomed the prospect of direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling reporters at the White House, "I think it would be great if they met. They should. Get it done."

“Kremlin says Zelensky can come to Moscow for talks any time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky can come to Moscow any time if he wishes to hold talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday”

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Trump said the leaders were "going to both make compromises" and that he had "suggested those compromises," while declining to reveal what concessions the leaders agreed to make to end the conflict.

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Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky called on Putin to engage in direct talks to end the war, arguing that continued fighting was affecting Russia's resources and its international standing, and he wrote in an open letter, "Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us -- and you. I am proposing a meeting."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Zelensky can come to Moscow at any time if he wishes to hold talks, adding, "President Putin has said that if Zelensky wants to talk, he can come to Moscow and do so."

In a speech at the Munich security conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the absence of European leaders at the negotiating table a "grave erreur," saying they were "pratiquement pas présents à la table" in talks under U.S. aegis to end the war with Russia.

Zelensky said Kyiv was working to ensure that "les intérêts et la voix de l'Europe" were taken into account, and he argued that any durable peace must reflect security concerns across the continent, not only those of Ukraine and the United States.

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Euronews said Zelensky also called for stricter measures to repress the Russian "flotte fantôme" of tankers described as "portefeuilles flottants" for Moscow, while saying Ukraine would organize a new cycle of trilateral negotiations with the United States and Russia next week.

Le Devoir reported that Ukrainian and American envoys began discussions in Geneva on Thursday to prepare for new trilateral meetings, with Zelensky telling viewers that "Very likely, the next gathering will take place in the United Arab Emirates, more precisely in Abu Dhabi."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia has "no deadline" to end the conflict, telling reporters, "Have you heard us say anything about deadlines? ... We have no deadlines; we have only tasks... We are in the process of carrying them out," according to TASS.

Le Devoir also said Moscow fired about 420 drones and 39 missiles at Ukraine overnight, causing dozens of injuries including children, and damaging infrastructure and residential buildings in eight regions, while Zelensky announced the attack on X.

In parallel, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated the condition for talks, saying, "President Putin has said that if Zelensky wants to talk, he can come to Moscow and do so," as Zelensky’s open letter proposed a meeting and called for a full ceasefire for the duration of negotiations.

parismatch reported that Moscow was prepared to organize a meeting between Zelensky and Putin provided Zelensky travels to Russia, framing the invitation as a diplomatic challenge amid renewed exchanges involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.