Putin accuses Kyiv of refusing to negotiate: They are doing everything to prevent peace

What Happened

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a meeting of Russia's Military-Industrial Commission, claimed that Kyiv is unwilling to hold negotiations and is doing everything to prevent peace, according to Interfax Russia. Putin was quoted as saying, "Representatives of the Kyiv regime, the leadership in Kyiv, talk about peace and propose to resume so-called negotiations, but they themselves commit such crimes and do everything to ensure that there is no peace and no negotiations." He added that because Russia could not be intimidated, Kyiv's actions could only be aimed at avoiding negotiations. The article states that Ukraine has repeatedly proposed a face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin in a neutral country to negotiate an end to the war launched by Russia, while Russia has repeatedly rejected this, insisting that any such meeting take place only in Moscow. In background, Interfax Russia reports that on 12 September Putin rejected Zelenskyy's proposal to hold talks on ending the war on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the US. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that Putin was only prepared to meet Zelenskyy in Moscow. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Zelenskyy's invitation to Moscow a "huge gesture of goodwill", claimed Russia remained open to negotiations with Ukraine but would not halt the war while the talks were taking place.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The statements illustrate the diplomatic deadlock: Kyiv publicly offers neutral-country direct talks to end the war, while Moscow frames Ukrainian proposals as insincere and imposes a Moscow-only venue precondition. By accusing Kyiv of preventing peace while refusing to halt military operations during talks, the Kremlin positions itself as open to negotiation on terms that Ukraine has rejected. This keeps the war's military and diplomatic tracks disconnected, with no agreed process for a ceasefire or summit.

Watch For

Monitor whether Kyiv issues a formal response to Putin's latest accusation, whether Putin or Peskov signals any change to the Moscow-only venue precondition, and whether any side proposes talks at a concrete upcoming international summit such as a future G20 or UN session. Also watch Lavrov's next public statements for any shift on halting the war during negotiations.