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“Regarding the development of bilateral relations, please. We will receive the President of Ukraine in Moscow at any time that is convenient for him,” Putin told reporters during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow.
Putin’s invitation to Zelensky came in response to a proposal made earlier this week by a Ukrainian leader for the two leaders to meet in eastern Ukraine, where there are fears that intensifying fighting between the military Kiev’s loyalist and pro-Russian separatists may turn into a global war.
Ukraine, the European Union and the United States have recently sounded alarm bells over the mobilization of Russian troops on the borders of their western neighbor and in occupied Crimea in Moscow.
According to Moscow, its forces are participating in exercises in response to NATO maneuvers, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the soldiers to return to their permanent bases by May 1.
“If President Zelensky wants to start improving relations, then of course we welcome him,” Putin told reporters at the beginning of talks with Lukashenko.
However, the Russian leader stressed that if Zelensky hopes to solve the problems arising from the conflict in eastern Ukraine, he must first meet with the leaders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
“It just came to our knowledge then [derėtų] to discuss these issues with representatives of third countries, in this case with Russia, “said the Kremlin host.
Since 2014, Kiev has been at war with Moscow-backed separatists in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. These battles broke out when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula that year.
During the conflict, they claimed a total of more than 13 thousand. lives, some 30 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the beginning of this year. By comparison, 50 have died in all the previous years.
