MOSCOW — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov opened a conditional diplomatic door on Saturday, saying Volodymyr Zelensky could travel to Moscow for talks as soon as he was prepared to make what Russia described as consequential decisions.
“He may come to Moscow as soon as he is ready to make important, consequential decisions,” Peskov told KP Radio. “The Kyiv regime knows perfectly well what those are.”
Peskov named no specific conditions. The phrase “knows perfectly well” is formulation the Kremlin has used repeatedly to signal that its terms — which have historically included Ukrainian neutrality, territorial concessions in Donetsk and other regions, and limits on military ties with NATO — are understood by Kyiv and require no public elaboration from Moscow.
The statement came on a day of concentrated Russian battlefield and diplomatic activity. Russia’s Defense Ministry announced a proposed six-hour ceasefire in Konstantinovka for July 6 to allow the handover of bodies of Ukrainian servicemen, after Russian forces completed their capture of the city on Friday. Separately, Zelensky called Trump to congratulate the US on its 250th Independence Day, a call in which no public discussion of war terms was disclosed.
Whether Peskov’s remarks represent a genuine diplomatic opening or a posture calibrated to a moment of Russian military strength has not been confirmed. Ukraine had not responded to the statement as of Saturday evening. Kyiv has consistently said it will not negotiate under military pressure and has stated territorial integrity as a precondition for any formal talks.
Peskov did not indicate whether the statement was coordinated with a broader diplomatic effort. Russia and the United States have maintained backchannel contact since the Iran ceasefire earlier this year; whether direct Russia-Ukraine talks form any part of those discussions is not known from public statements. Sputnik reported Peskov’s earlier comments on Konstantinovka, in which he described the city as a fortress Ukraine believed impregnable.
