Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is the best place for a possible meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Reuters and TASS reported.

"Next time, if someone really wants to meet with us, we are ready. The best place for this is the capital of the Russian Federation, the hero city of Moscow," the president said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, held in Vladivostok.

The Russian president recalled that until recently, Kiev had ruled out the possibility of direct contact with Russia, but now it is asking for and offering one.

The Russian leader added that Russia is ready to guarantee 100 percent security of Zelensky and representatives of Kiev if they decide to come to Moscow for talks on the topic of Ukraine.

"The Ukrainian side wants this meeting and proposes this meeting. I said: 'Ready, please, come, come. We will provide absolutely perfect conditions for work and security. We guarantee 100 percent,'" Putin emphasized in a lengthy speech to delegates at the forum in Vladivostok.

The Russian leader defined Kiev's demands for a meeting between him and Zelensky in Kiev as excessive demands.

"It is currently impossible to reach agreements on key issues with Vladimir Zelensky," Putin said."I have already said many times that I am ready for these contacts [with Zelensky]. But I don't see much point. Why? Because it will be practically impossible to reach an agreement with the Ukrainian side on key issues: even if there is political will - which I doubt - there are legal and technical difficulties," the Russian leader noted.

He explained that according to the Ukrainian constitution, all agreements on the territories must be confirmed in a referendum.

Putin touched on the topic of security guarantees for Ukraine after a peace agreement comes into force in that country. He stressed that these guarantees should be developed for both Russia and Ukraine, and stressed that Moscow will respect them.

Putin said that if NATO troops appear in Ukraine, they will become a legitimate target for the Russian military.

The Russian leader said that Russia is absolutely not happy with Ukraine joining NATO."They (the Ukrainian authorities during the rule of President Viktor Yanukovych - TASS) were against Ukraine joining NATO, and this is an issue that directly affected us and affects us from the point of view of ensuring Russia's long-term security interests. What did they (the Ukrainians - editor's note) do? As a result of a coup d'état, they removed Yanukovych from power. They removed a person who was against Ukraine joining NATO. Forces came to power that were in favor of joining and now continue to hope for Ukraine joining NATO. This does not suit us at all," Putin said.

The Russian president said he has not yet spoken on the phone with US President Donald Trump, after Trump participated in a videoconference yesterday at a summit of the"Coalition of the Willing" countries.

"So far, there has been no telephone conversation between me and Trump regarding the results of these consultations in Europe," Putin said. However, he added that there were no problems in communication between the two and explained that it was difficult to organize a conversation with Trump, given that he had personally just returned from a visit to China. Putin was referring to the visit, during which he participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and was among the guests at a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Russia is ready for economic cooperation in Alaska if the United States makes a political decision to move forward in this direction, Putin said during the forum in Vladivostok. The United States has significant resource potential in Alaska, while Russia has efficient technologies for developing oil and natural gas deposits, Putin said. The Russian leader said that Russia has good offers for working with US companies in Alaska. He also said that there are many technology companies in the United States that are ready to resume or start new work with Russia.

The Russian leader also said that many European companies have left Russia for political reasons with losses, but now they would like to return and are waiting for the moment when the restrictions on this will be lifted.

Speaking about relations with China, Putin said that Russia had discussed with that country the possibility of joint work in the Arctic. The Russian leader said that Russia would reciprocate in kind the decision of the Chinese authorities to introduce visa-free travel for Chinese citizens.

Putin highlighted his 20-year collaboration with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying it was about mutual interests and that the two countries' economies complemented each other."We are neighbors. We have many common interests, a common approach, common traditional values," Putin said.

At the forum, Putin announced that he had instructed the Russian government to develop a long-term strategy for the development of Russia's Far Eastern Federal District until 2036. Putin noted that the Russian Far East and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole are a territory of dynamic change and rapid development."We must maintain high rates of positive change, improve the infrastructure of the national economy, increase technological capabilities in all areas, and more effectively use the resource, production, logistics, and scientific potential of our Far Eastern regions and the country as a whole," the president said."To this end, it is necessary to actively experiment, implement bold innovative solutions and reflect them in the regulatory framework, in the working conditions of business, in solving tasks that determine the quality of life of people. Such approaches have already proven themselves here, in the Far East, in the Arctic. We will continue to develop them, adapt them to the needs of people, the needs of business and ensuring the national interests of Russia," he said.

Speaking about the Russian Far East, Putin said that Russia's coal reserves there will last for 900 years, but to effectively use these resources, modern technologies are needed. This must be worked on first and foremost, the Russian president said.

Putin said that Russia also has rare earth materials, which, with the development of technology, can be extracted and used effectively. He said that he had instructed his government to present a program for the development of rare earth elements in the country. The program must be presented no later than November.

At the forum, Putin also spoke about the symbolism associated with Russia. He said that the bear is a symbol of Russia, but recalled that the Russian Far East is home to the largest tiger in the world - the Ussuri or Amur tiger. There are 750 representatives of this animal species living in Russia, TASS recalls.

Putin also stated that the Russian double-headed eagle looks not only to the West, but also to the East, and also to the South. Thus, he also referred to the interaction and joint work with Russia's friends from the Asia-Pacific region, in the Global South, which is not related to the current political situation. The Russian leader emphasized Russia's good-neighborly relations with many countries, specifically mentioning, in addition to China, India, Indonesia, but also Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam.

Putin emphasized that Russia has a stable and predictable foreign, but also economic, policy.

And regarding Russia's relations with China and North Korea - countries likened to a bear, a dragon and an elephant, in response to a question from the moderator of the discussion in Vladivostok about the role of dreams in this alliance, Putin jokingly stated:"A bear is just a bear."