--- title: "Kyiv Rejects 'Just a Call': Presidential Office Says Zelensky-Putin Talk Cannot Replace Agreements" description: "Zelenskyy's Office stated that a phone call with Putin cannot replace agreements on ending the war: Kyiv demands a meeting of leaders with guarantees in a trilateral format, while Moscow insists on bilateral contact." date: 2026-10-30T10:57:49.009Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kyiv-rejects-zelenskyy-putin-phone-call tags: [ukraine-war, zelensky, putin, peace-talks, diplomacy] author: "Andrey Kosynko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Kyiv Rejects 'Just a Call': Presidential Office Says Zelensky-Putin Talk Cannot Replace Agreements ![Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin in parallel portrait shots](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/30/kiev-otvergaet-telefonnyy-zvonok-zelenskogo-putinu/kiev-otvergaet-telefonnyy-zvonok-zelenskogo-putinu-1.webp) ## Key Points - Zelenskyy's advisor Dmytro Lytvyn stated that a phone call with Putin is not enough for agreements on ending the war. - According to Kyiv, Moscow's proposals for a call or a meeting in Moscow aim to avoid a trilateral format at the leadership level. - The Kremlin and Putin's aide Ushakov stated Putin's readiness for a conversation and the possibility of Zelenskyy visiting Moscow with security guarantees. - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged not to take Moscow's proposals seriously. The Office of the President of Ukraine has commented on the Kremlin's resonant statements regarding Vladimir Putin's readiness for a telephone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to Presidential Communications Advisor Dmytro Lytvyn, a mere phone call between the two leaders is not enough to reach agreements on ending the war. As RBC-Ukraine reports, Lytvyn emphasized that key issues require not formal contact, but a full-fledged meeting with guarantees and concrete agreements. ### 'Just a Call' Cannot Replace Agreements Answering a question about the possibility of a phone call between Zelenskyy and Putin, Lytvyn recalled that this is not the first time the Russian side has talked about a call or a meeting in Moscow. According to him, Kyiv assesses such rhetoric as an attempt to steer negotiations away from a trilateral format at the leadership level. 'It is logical that key issues should be resolved at the level of leaders, but this is specifically a meeting and corresponding talks, an agreement, and guarantees, which is obviously difficult to implement when it is just a call,' the presidential advisor stated. ### Moscow Proposes Bilateral Contact Earlier, the Kremlin stated that Vladimir Putin is ready to speak by phone with the President of Ukraine, but 'no one has called yet.' Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov added that Zelenskyy could come to Moscow to meet with the Kremlin leader, where, according to him, 'all conditions will be provided, including in terms of security.' Thus, the Russian side is essentially proposing a bilateral format without the participation of third parties. ### Kyiv Rejects the Moscow Scenario In Kyiv, such proposals are viewed as an attempt to change the format and venue of negotiations. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, responding to Moscow's statements, noted that such proposals should not be taken seriously. The Presidential Office, in turn, insists that if it is a matter of ending the war, what is needed is not symbolic contacts, but a meeting of leaders with real agreements and guarantees that cannot be provided within a telephone conversation. ### Context: Dispute Over Format Continues The positions of the parties regarding the format of contacts at the leadership level remain divergent: Moscow emphasizes its readiness for a bilateral talk and an invitation to Moscow, while Kyiv points to the insufficiency of such a format and the necessity of trilateral agreements with guarantees. Against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict, the question of in what format and with what mediation the leaders' negotiations might take place remains one of the key issues on the diplomatic track. ## Accounts differ ### Parties' readiness for contact at the leadership level and its format - **Kremlin (Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov):** Putin is ready to talk by phone with Zelenskyy, but 'no one has called yet'; Zelenskyy can come to Moscow, where all conditions, including security, will be provided for him. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/chi-telefonuvatime-zelenskiy-putinu-shcho-1793357105.html)) - **Office of the President of Ukraine (Advisor Dmytro Lytvyn):** A phone call is not enough for agreements; Russia, by proposing a call or a meeting in Moscow, is trying to avoid a trilateral format at the leadership level. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/chi-telefonuvatime-zelenskiy-putinu-shcho-1793357105.html)) *Where they agree:* A telephone conversation between Zelenskyy and Putin had not taken place at the time of the statements; both sides are discussing the possibility of contact at the leadership level. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Будет ли Зеленский звонить Путину: что говорят в ОП](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/chi-telefonuvatime-zelenskiy-putinu-shcho-1793357105.html) - Primary source: statement by OP advisor Dmytro Lytvyn regarding the insufficiency of a phone call; statements by the Kremlin, Ushakov, and Sybiha are presented on the same basis. - [Зеленский: США помогают Путину выйти из изоляции. 1092-й день полномасштабной российско ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0/20250219-%D0%B2-%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B5-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5-%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B0-%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8-%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B2-%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%8C-%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B7-%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B8-%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B0-1092-%D0%B9-%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%88%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE-%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9%D0%BD%D1%8B) - Подтверждено по источнику rfi.fr - [Зеленский ответил, нанесет ли Украина удар по Керченскому мосту](https://www.unian.net/politics/voyna-v-ukraine-vladimir-zelenskiy-obyasnil-kak-kiev-budet-reagirovat-na-eskalaciyu-so-storony-moskvy-13518567.html) - Подтверждено по источнику unian.net ## FAQ ### Why is Zelenskyy's Office unhappy with the idea of a phone call with Putin? Presidential advisor Dmytro Lytvyn stated that key issues on ending the war require a meeting of leaders with agreements and guarantees, and 'just a call' does not allow for their implementation. ### What does Moscow propose regarding the contact format? The Kremlin stated Putin's readiness for a telephone conversation, and presidential aide Yuri Ushakov spoke about the possibility of Zelenskyy visiting Moscow with all conditions, including security, provided. ### How did the Ukrainian Foreign Minister react? Andrii Sybiha noted that Moscow's proposals of this kind should not be taken seriously.