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Kremlin says no preparations underway for possible Putin-Zelensky meeting

The Russian presidential spokesman noted that Putin’s article "is a profound and very good reason for a discussion" between the two countries’ leaders

MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for dialogue with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky but no preparations are currently underway for a meeting between the two leaders, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

"President Putin said he was ready to meet with President Zelensky. And he said it on numerous occasions. It had been said before the article [‘On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians’] was published," Peskov pointed out.

The Russian presidential spokesman noted that Putin’s article "is a profound and very good reason for a discussion" between the two countries’ leaders. "The article makes it possible to understand President Putin’s determination to make Russian-Ukrainian contacts meaningful," Peskov added.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, for a start, the two countries’ presidential offices need to make preparations for such a meeting.

Putin’s article was published on the Kremlin’s website on Monday. The head of state pointed out that the West sought to turn Ukraine into something resembling Russia’s polar opposite to achieve its own goals, but Moscow would never tolerate this. Putin was confident that Ukraine was only capable of gaining true independence in a partnership with Russia. According to Putin, Russia was open to dialogue with Ukraine and discussions on the most complicated issues.

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