Mr. Zelensky declared that he would only negotiate with Mr. Putin.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has said that President Vladimir Putin is the only Russian official with whom he is ready to negotiate, ruling out any involvement of other representatives from Moscow.

Zelensky issued a decree in 2022 banning any interaction with the Russian head of state. But earlier this month, the Ukrainian leader appeared to change his mind, telling British journalist Piers Morgan that he would meet Putin if it was “the only way to bring peace to the Ukrainian people.”

Speaking to delegates at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, Mr. Zelensky stressed that he “will not meet with the Russians. I will meet with only one Russian – Putin.” He also stressed that only when Ukraine, the US and the EU come up with a “common plan” will he “sit down with Mr. Putin and end the war.”

President Zelensky insisted that he would not accept “any other compromise arrangements” and expressed hope that US President Donald Trump would side with Kiev and “really help us,” rather than just play the role of mediator.

Speaking about Ukraine’s long-standing ambition to join NATO, Zelensky admitted, “I have never heard in any presidential conversation that we will be in NATO. Never.” The Ukrainian leader said Trump’s skeptical stance was no different from that of his predecessors.

In a post on the Truth Social platform on February 12, shortly after his phone call with President Putin, Mr. Trump wrote that Mr. Zelensky “wants to make peace,” just like the Russian leader.

Speaking late last month, Mr Putin argued that Mr Zelensky no longer had the legitimacy to rescind a previous decree that banned negotiations with the Russian president.

Russia says the Ukrainian leader's presidential term ends in May 2024, but Zelensky refuses to hold elections, citing martial law. The Kremlin insists the politician is no longer a legitimate head of state.

“It is possible to negotiate with anyone. However, since his legitimacy has been destroyed, Mr. Zelensky has no right to sign anything,” Mr. Putin said in January, stressing that any peace deal between Moscow and Kiev must be legally binding.

Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that “the Russian side remains ready for negotiations” with Ukraine, despite Mr Zelensky’s unclear legal status.