Putin has signaled readiness to host Ukrainian President Zelenski in Moscow for peace talks, as the Kremlin reiterates its openness to direct negotiations on key territorial and security issues. The Kremlin reiterated on Wednesday, January 28, that President Vladimir Putin is prepared to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Zelenski in Moscow, a possibility that was also raised in contacts with U.S. President Donald Trump. Putin and Zelenski have met only once since the latter became Ukrainian President. Zelenski rejected the invitation to travel to Moscow at the time and also did not view a possible meeting in Budapest favorably, due to his poor relations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Ukraine received candidate status for the EU in June 2022 and formally began accession talks in 2024.