Kremlin says Putin-Zelensky talks are possible, but talks stall

Russia said on Wednesday it did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, but said such talks should be prepared in advance.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that work on a peace deal with Ukraine has long stalled and has not resumed.

Peskov said that people in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donbashhia regions must decide their own future, and the Kremlin has no doubt that they will make the “best decision”. Ukraine had previously said that Russia’s annexation of the regions would put an end to peace talks between the two sides.