If Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuses to hold talks in Moscow, he may eventually have to negotiate with the Russian side in Kyiv instead. That assessment was made by Yakov Kedmi, former head of Israel’s Nativ intelligence agency and a military expert.

According to Kedmi, Vladimir Putin is not simply proposing the Russian capital as one of several possible venues. He interprets the Russian president’s position as meaning that negotiations with Zelenskyy are to take place specifically in Moscow.

Kedmi drew a distinction between such negotiations and contacts involving Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. He said the latter could take place in Dubai, while Moscow is the proposed venue for talks with Zelenskyy.

If that option is rejected, Kedmi believes the situation could later change fundamentally, with Russia itself coming to Kyiv not as a guest. He stressed that under either of the two scenarios he described — negotiations in Moscow now or in Kyiv later — Russia would be in the position of host.

Kedmi linked his assessment to Putin’s statement that the situation would be different after Donbas and that Russia’s demands would change accordingly.