Putin says he would meet Zelensky in 'final phase' of peace talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to meet with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky but only during a "final phase" of negotiations on ending the three-year conflict.
He also suggested Mr Zelensky had no right to sign a peace agreement given his five-year mandate had expired under martial law, a notion Ukraine has dismissed as baseless propaganda.
"We need to find a solution that would not only put an end to the current conflict, but also create conditions that would prevent similar situations from recurring in the long term," Mr Putin told journalists including AFP in Saint Petersburg.
"I am ready to meet with everyone, including Zelensky. That is not the issue - if the Ukrainian state trusts someone in particular to conduct negotiations, it can be Zelensky," the Russian leader said.
"We don't care who negotiates, even if it is the current head of the regime," Mr Putin said.
But he added that this would only happen at a "final phase, so as not to sit there and divide things up endlessly, but to put an end to it."
Talks on ending the three-year conflict have stalled in recent weeks, with Mr Putin pushing maximalist demands for ending his offensive while declining to attend a personal meeting with Mr Zelensky.
Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately sabotaging peace efforts to prolong the conflict.
NATO rearmament not a 'threat' to Russia
Mr Putin also said that NATO's push to ramp up defence spending was not a "threat" to Russia, days before the alliance was set to sign-off on a plan to boost its military capacity across Europe.
The Western military alliance will hold a crucial summit in The Hague next week to discuss increasing defence spending to five percent of GDP, under pressure from US President Donald Trump.
Mr Putin has cast his offensive in Ukraine as part of a wider conflict between Russia and US-led NATO, which has been Ukraine's staunchest backer since Russia launched its offensive in February 2022.
"We do not consider any rearmament by NATO to be a threat to the Russian Federation, because we are self-sufficient in terms of ensuring our own security," Mr Putin said.
Russia is "constantly modernising our armed forces and defensive capabilities," Mr Putin said, adding that it made "no sense" for NATO to spend more money on arms.
Though he conceded higher spending by NATO would create some "specific" challenges for Russia, he brushed them off.
"We will counter all threats that arise. There is no doubt about that," Mr Putin said.
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