"As for the meeting with Zelensky, I have never ruled out the possibility of such a meeting. However, does it make sense? We'll see," Putin said, adding that he was ready to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart in Moscow. He added that US President Donald Trump had also asked him to organize such a meeting.

According to him, if Ukraine wants to make progress towards a peace agreement, it must lift martial law, hold elections and a referendum on territorial issues, Reuters reports. Moscow is demanding that Kiev give up territories that Russia has unilaterally annexed as a condition for peace.

"We will see how the situation develops. Otherwise, we will have to solve all our tasks militarily," the Russian president announced, asserting that Russian forces are already advancing on all fronts in Ukraine.

Putin was in Beijing today for a military parade marking the anniversary of the end of World War II. There, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. During the meeting with the latter, he said, among other things, that Russia has never opposed Ukraine's entry into the EU and that an agreement to resolve the conflict must not endanger Russia's security.