Image Credentials: Image Title: Putin Proposed Trump–Zelensky Meeting in Moscow, Sources Say Source: (sora.chatgpt) Date: August 2025 Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (sora.chatgpt), it does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer | Open Chronicle with Agencies
According to diplomatic sources cited by Agence France-Presse, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed hosting a direct meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow during a phone call with former U.S. President Donald Trump. The call reportedly took place while Trump was meeting with Zelensky, alongside European and NATO leaders.
During the conversation, Putin expressed his willingness to hold bilateral talks and even suggested Moscow as the venue. Sources claim that Zelensky rejected the idea outright with a firm “no.”
🤡 Putin suggested meeting with Zelensky in Moscow during his night phone call with Trump, AFP reports
"Are you, comrade, a fantasist?" The proposal to meet in Moscow seems like pure fantasy, even in the context of the most extravagant diplomatic initiatives. pic.twitter.com/wFjaX9Yxho
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 19, 2025
Switzerland Offers Alternative Venue
The day after the alleged exchange, Switzerland expressed its readiness to host a peace conference, even promising to grant Vladimir Putin immunity should he attend. Swiss officials emphasized the importance of providing a neutral and secure ground for negotiations in the ongoing conflict.
Nearly Four Years of War
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. The Kremlin justified its actions by claiming it sought to protect pro-Russian separatist minorities in eastern Ukraine and to “denazify” the country, which has moved closer to Europe and the West since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The war has since claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides. Recent months have been marked by intensified Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, while Kyiv has targeted Russian military assets, including drone strikes inside Russia and in Crimea, illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Diplomatic Stalemate
On August 15, Trump and Putin held a summit in Alaska, with the possibility of a ceasefire on the agenda. However, the talks produced no concrete results. Moscow continues to reject any long-term ceasefire unless Kyiv agrees to surrender four regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—alongside Crimea, and formally renounces its ambition to join NATO.
For Ukraine and its European allies, these terms remain unacceptable. Kyiv has instead called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire as a prerequisite to any peace talks. Russia has dismissed this proposal, arguing it would simply allow Ukraine to rearm with Western-supplied weapons.
Outlook
As the war approaches its fourth year, prospects for meaningful peace talks remain bleak. While Putin’s suggestion of Moscow as a venue underscores Russia’s desire to dictate the terms of diplomacy, Ukraine and its Western partners continue to push for neutral ground and unconditional steps toward de-escalation.