Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Moscow the best place for a possible meeting with Zelensky.

"Next time, if someone really wants to meet with us, we are ready. The best place for this is the capital of Russia, the hero city of Moscow," Putin said at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

Putin invited Vladimir Zelensky to Moscow to have a conversation, not to surrender, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"He was invited to Moscow to talk, not to capitulate," Peskov said.

When asked why Moscow was chosen, he replied that "it was Putin’s proposal."

"It was his proposal, and we see that it was rejected by Zelensky personally, through his foreign minister," he said.

Commenting on a possible meeting, Peskov said that "serious homework should be done first."

Earlier, at a press conference following his visit to China, Putin said he was ready to invite Zelensky to come to Moscow if the latter was ready for such a meeting. However, Zelensky, speaking at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, declined the offer.

Vladimir Putin has called excessive the calls for arranging a meeting with Zelensky at venues proposed by Kiev.

"If they tell us: 'We want to meet with you, but you should go to some place for such a meeting,' it seems to me that these are simply excessive requests," Putin said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, answering a question about a possible meeting with Zelensky.

Putin said on Friday that he had not yet spoken by phone with his US counterpart Donald Trump after the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Europe.

"As of yet, we had not communicated [with US President Trump] regarding the outcome of these consultations in Europe. Well, actually, it was a bit difficult for me to do this, I’ve just returned from China, and now I am here [in Vladivostok]. But we don't have any communication problems on our side," Putin said at a plenary session of the 2025 Eastern Economic Forum.

On September 4, members of the Coalition of the Willing met in the French capital of Paris to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, among other things. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the coalition now has 35 members, 26 of which have expressed readiness to send military contingents to Ukraine once a ceasefire or peace is established.

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