MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying he was ready for direct talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as "empty words". Asked how he would feel if he sat opposite Putin at a negotiating table, Zelensky said in an interview: "If that is the only set-up in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and not lose people, definitely we will go for this set-up."
"So far this cannot be seen as anything but empty words," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin last week said Moscow would hold talks with Ukraine, but ruled out speaking directly to Zelensky. The Kremlin spokesman also reiterated Russia's frequent claim that Zelensky is not a legitimate president. "Zelensky has big problems de jure (legally) in Ukraine. But even despite that we remain ready for talks," Peskov said. Meanwhile, Russia on Wednesday said its troops took two more Ukrainian villages in the country's east and north-east as the conflict nears the end of its third year. — AFP
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