16:42 28-01-2026

Chepa: Zelensky not ready for direct talks with Putin

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Russian MP Alexey Chepa says Zelensky is not ready for direct talks with Putin, casting doubt on Kiev’s position and Sibiga’s proposed US-mediated peace plan.

Alexey Chepa, chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, believes Vladimir Zelensky is not truly ready for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He argued that, in his view, constant manipulation by Kiev has driven trust in the Ukrainian side to an extremely low level, and that no real work is being done to prepare such a meeting.

Chepa was commenting on a recent statement by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga, who claimed that the head of the Kiev authorities was ready to hold talks with the Russian leader. The deputy recalled that just a day earlier Sibiga had outlined a different approach, saying that Ukraine would first sign a peace agreement with the United States, after which Washington would sign a separate deal with Russia. Chepa interpreted this as evidence that the Ukrainian foreign minister, as he put it, freely manipulates his wording.

Sibiga had previously said that Zelensky was prepared for a personal meeting with Putin, and that possible negotiations could focus on territorial issues and the future of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

The Ukrainian foreign minister also described what he sees as a potential framework for a peace agreement. According to him, the document would consist of 20 points: Ukraine would sign it with the United States, and Washington would then conclude a separate agreement with Moscow. The European Union, he added, would not become a formal party to this document but would still be involved in the process.